Nederim
by Sorell
Summary: Cassia has no memory of who she is or where she came from. And she was fine existing like that. But when she starts having memories return to her, she begins digging into a past she has no recollection of. The more she learns, the more her past responsibilities and skeletons begin to interfere with her present, and Cassia must overcome the trials and tribulations she had forgotten.
1. Interludium

**Disclaimer: **Tales of the Abyss and all characters therein do not belong to me. That honor goes to Namco Bandai. This story is for fun only, and I do not profit from it.

* * *

**Nederim**

Chapter 1 / Interludium

_"Rather than turning the page, it's much easier to just throw the book away." – Anthony Liccione_

* * *

_It was unbefitting of a princess, but Natalia, second in line for the throne of the Kingdom of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear, was so filled with nervous energy that she had to consciously force herself from releasing it in short, jumpy movements. She did not know if her people would be able to make it back to Baticul before it was too late. There were so many wounded, most of them gravely so, and her skills as a Seventh Fonist did little to alleviate the load of work thrust suddenly upon the few Seventh Fonists and medics that were nearby._

_She looked outside, wishing the expansive sand dunes of Chesedonia would somehow just vanish so her people could reach a hospital quicker. Then she saw it: a ball of purple and yellow that didn't fit the desert landscape, big enough that Natalia could only assume it was human. She straightened, almost immediately opened the door to the carriage before she stopped herself. Kimlascan soldiers' _lives_ were at stake; she shouldn't delay them from receiving the medical attention they desperately needed._

_But she _couldn't_ just leave someone out in the desert; they would die within a few hours if they weren't already dead. They didn't look like part of the Malkuth military, either (not that that would stop her. If someone needed help, it shouldn't matter what country they were from). Throwing caution to the wind in favor of compassion, Natalia opened the carriage door and ran towards the purple form, barely hearing General Cecille's calls for her to come back._

_Natalia reached the person quickly, turned them over so their face wasn't in the sand anymore while checking for a pulse. It was there, slow and faint, but there nonetheless. Without wasting another second Natalia began to cast healing artes on the girl's bleeding forehead. They didn't seem to do much, but the girl responded with a groan from being shifted around so much. The princess tried to wake her up, knowing that falling asleep now wouldn't help the girl at all, but she wasn't able to get any other response out of her. General Cecille showed up at her side then, and Natalia had her and the other soldier that accompanied her bring the girl into another carriage, one that was carrying soldiers with minor wounds. Neither of them questioned her, and she was thankful once more that she could use her title as princess to help people that needed it._

Everything was white, and at first she thought it was because her eyes hadn't adjusted to the brightness of the sun.

It was only after blinking rapidly did she realize that the sun wasn't making everything bright, the room itself was a blank slate. There were some sort of repeating blips and beeps and other sounds, but they sounded fuzzy, almost like she was underwater. She felt numb and dazed and all around completely out of it, and it took her a few moments to actually understand that she had no clue where she was, how she got here, why she was in this void of a room.

She tried to sit up only to fall victim to a dizzy spell, and she thought she might have felt something in her stomach, but the numb feeling stayed with her, dulling her senses. She managed to stay sitting, putting a hand to her head to try and make everything stop spinning. There was something rough wrapped around it. Why was there something on her head?

Her hand flew away from her temple stained slightly red. That was when she began to panic. She knew what the red color was, but why was she bleeding? Why was she in this room? With wide eyes, she scanned the room as quickly as she could, trying to keep breathing steadily despite how difficult getting air into her lungs became.

It was white, almost everything was white and she didn't like it. The bed was white, the walls, the curtain that blocked out the rays of sunlight that tried to filter into the room. The speed of the beeping picked up, and her eyes darted over to where she thought the sound was coming from. There was a box in the corner—white in color—with a black screen and lines darted up and down. On the other side of the room was some sort of bag, filled with a clear liquid that was attached to a pole. A tube ran from the bottom of the bag, and following its path, she began to panic again. It went into her arm, and she didn't understand. Where _was_ she? What _happened?_

A loud banging sound made her jump, and she instinctively leaned as far back as she could, which was rather difficult because she couldn't feel her arms and legs. A person came in from the open door—she didn't even see the door, it blended in with everything else—dressed in white. Why was everything so _colorless_?

"Who are you?"

The voice was soft and feminine, slightly shaky, and it took her a moment to realize that it was her voice. The person paid her no heed, though, might not have even heard her, before going over to her and doing something. Their hands placed themselves on her shoulders, gently trying to push her back towards the bed, and their mouth was moving, some sort of sounds coming out of it but she either didn't understand or her mind was too muddled from everything to comprehend them. The tone was soothing and nice, but didn't keep the woman in the bed from repeating "Who are you?"

Once her head found its place back onto the white pillow the hands removed themselves from her shoulders, but the persons voice kept on talking in that soothing voice. She stopped repeating the question—the person wasn't going to respond to her apparently—and instead she concentrated on her breathing again. The speed of the beeping slowed down again, and she managed to focus on the person in white.

It was a man. His hair was dark, and his eyes were light, a shade of green that she liked. His coat was white, but the clothes under it were different shades of red and brown and green. He looked rather young. After letting out a sigh, he smiled and said, "See, there's nothing to be afraid of. Everything's all right."

She didn't really understand what he meant, but he seemed relaxed so she tried again. "Who are you?"

"Imri," he said. His eyes darted back to the door and her gaze followed his. Beyond the threshold was a hallway filled with different colors. His eyes met with hers again and his frown deepened. "You messed up your bandage, you know."

She stared at him for a moment, touched her head once more, gingerly this time. He was quiet too, eyes drifting away from hers and up towards her head. "Let me rewrap that for you. Is that all right?" When she said nothing, he asked her to nod if it was fine for him to rewrap whatever was on her head.

She complied and, with another grin, he grabbed something from a nearby table. He sat on the edge of the bed, helped her sit up again, and began undoing the thing that was around her head. The cloth came back mostly white, but with a huge dark stain on it. "So. Like I said, my name's Imri." He gestured to himself before picking up another roll of white cloth and focusing on her injury again. "I'm not a doctor or Seventh Fonist or anything, so I can't help much—we're a bit short staffed at the moment, so General Cecille and Her Majesty asked us to help. You're stuck with me for the moment, but a real doctor can check you out once all the wounded soldiers are taken care of."

She didn't understand any of those names—she hadn't heard any of them before—so she remained quiet and tried to watch him wrap the cloth around her head. He looked like he was having difficulties with her hair, so she pushed back the blonde bangs that kept falling in her face and in the path of the cloth. He beamed down at her. After another minute he tied off the cloth and relaxed back onto his place on the bed. "There, all better. So, you got a name, or do you want to go back to sleep? You were pretty beat up."

That bothered her. She didn't remember being wounded. The blood was proof that she did get hurt, though. It was a head injury, so perhaps that, in conjunction with whatever was making her numb, was messing with her memory. She remembered he asked her a question. Like Imri had done before, she gestured to herself. "I..." she paused. "I… my name is…"

What _was_ her name? She knew what a name was, she should probably have one. This shouldn't be something that's hard to remember. "My name…" she tried again, but nothing came to her. A name should be easy to remember. Why couldn't she remember?

"... You okay?" he asked after she stopped again.

She shook her head. "No… I, I do not…"

Imri frowned. "You don't remember your name?" His tone was soft. She didn't like it.

She leaned forward, screwing her eyes shut and putting her head in between her hands, being mindful of the cloth that Imri had just replaced for her. What was wrong with her? Why was her memory so fuzzy when almost everything else was fine? Most of her senses worked perfectly now. What happened?

"Hey, hey, hey, relax. It's fine," he told her, gently grabbing her wrists and removing her hands from her head. He pushed her back onto the bed softly, getting her to lie down again. "Why don't you rest some more; it might help out. I'll see if I can track down Her Majesty while you sleep, okay? I bet she can help."

She didn't bother replying to him and he stood up, began walking to the door slowly. Instead, she shifted over, towards the window that was covered with the white curtain. A frown settled on her lips at the sight. "Imri?" she asked.

He stayed put, waiting for her to continue. When she didn't, he said, "Yeah?"

"Will you… move the curtain… please?"

The sound of his shoes moving towards the window was accompanied by a short little chuckle. "Yeah, no problem. All this white would get on my nerves too." He moved the curtain away from the window, and while she couldn't see all the way through it due to the bars and the angle she was lying in, the small patch of blue sky, unmarred by clouds, was visible from her spot. "Try and get some sleep."

She nodded—sleep was likely the only thing that would help her now—but he was already on the other side of the room and couldn't see the gesture. The door shut quietly, and she closed her eyes. It didn't take long for her to fall unconscious.

* * *

When she woke up most of the numbness had worn off, causing her to groan in pain. She preferred being numb. It wasn't unbearable, far from it, but the pain encompasses her entire body, making her ache when she moved the slightest bit. Her head hurt the most, but her skin felt dry and hot and uncomfortable. She was still facing the window, and the small bit of sky she could see was no longer blue, but beginning to turn orange with the setting (or rising, she didn't know how long she slept) sun. There were still no clouds as far as she could tell.

"Oh, you're awake now."

The voice didn't belong to Imri, but didn't seem threatening. The woman in the bed turned away from the window, towards the voice. A blonde-haired teenager sat near her bed on a chair, accompanied by Imri, who was leaning on the wall by the beeping machine, looking bored. The newcomer's hair was short and curly, and her eyes were light green, but still darker than Imri's eyes were. She had on a light pink dress with a matching headband in her hair. She couldn't have been any older than sixteen.

The woman in the bed looked over to Imri, then back to the girl. Was this 'Her Majesty?'

Her question was answered as Imri straightened up, walked over to the girl's side and said, "This is Her Majesty, Princess Natalia of the Kingdom of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear."

Princess Natalia gave her a kind smile. "Please, just call me Natalia. How are you feeling?"

She didn't need to think about that. "I am… in pain. It hurts… to move much."

Natalia nodded, looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, I tried to use the Seventh Fonon to heal your head wound and sunburn, but I suppose I have not studied enough… the doctor should be able to heal you when he can." She paused, looked over the woman in the bed before continuing. "Captain Carnelian informed me of your situation. Is it true that you cannot remember who you are?"

The woman nodded slowly. "Yes… That is… correct," she said slowly, as if she was having trouble finding the right words. "But, I remembered… someone called me 'Cass.'"

Imri gave her a large smile and looked like he wanted to say something, but refrained from speaking. Natalia's smile widened as well. "That's wonderful. Do you remember anything else?"

Cass stayed quiet for a moment, thinking hard. Eventually she shook her head. "I apologize… I only remember… Cass."

The princess's smile wavered slightly, but didn't fall from her face. "I see. Would you mind if I gave you a name until you remember? …When the doctor is able to tend to you, we will need a full name for the report."

Cass blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected a princess to be so… attentive to her citizens. Much less someone that might not even be a part of the Kingdom of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear. "Yes… please do."

Natalia put a finger to her chin and looked like she was in deep thought. "Cass seems rather uncouth for a first name… it must be a nick name…" she muttered, thinking out loud. After a minute, she met Cass's eyes with her own. "Do you like the name 'Cassandra Brightwing?'"

Something about it seemed right, but Cass wasn't sure what. Similarly, there was something very, very off about that name. Regardless, the princess looked like she considered it carefully—it would be rude to not accept it. "Yes, I do… thank you."

"I'm glad," Natalia said, standing up and smoothing out her skirt. "Unfortunately, I have other business to attend to, so I cannot stay with you, Cassandra. Captain Carnelian can stay, if you would like?" Cass nodded, and Natalia continued. "He'll stay here, then. Might I have a word outside, Captain?"

Imri bowed his head, said "Of course, Your Majesty," before walking over to the door, holding it open for the princess. The two left, closing the door behind them, leaving Cass to stare at a wall of white while waiting for Imri to come back in.

"Captain, I'm sure I do not need to inform you of this, but I'm well aware of your escapades. Please note that they will _not_ be tolerated."

It always threw him off when Princess Natalia somehow pulled a complete 180 in personality. She usually seemed like a simple, well-mannered noble girl. Especially in these past few months, while she was with him and the other soldiers in Chesedonia. Her stern expression and tone of voice reminded him that she wasn't some noble's daughter; she was a princess in every sense of the word. Imri nearly threw his hands up defensively, almost spoke to her as if they were on equal footing. "Of course, Princess Natalia."

"Good," she said, before letting her shoulders drop the slightest bit. "I'm relieved. When you told me she had amnesia, I thought it might have been like Luke's…"

Ah, right. Young Master Luke's case of memory loss. He had never been to the Fabre Manor, but he'd heard all about it. Kid couldn't remember a thing. Couldn't talk, didn't know his parent's faces, nothing. The fact that Cass could understand him proved that her case was leagues better than his. "Yeah, it's not like his, thankfully," Imri agreed. "You may want to inform His Majesty about Miss Brightwing. Malkuth might have invented some sort of new fonon technology to cause amnesia. This is the second case of it that we've seen. I'll speak with General Cecille about it when I can, too."

"I was worried that could be a possibility…" she muttered. "Do so when you have the time. Keep an eye on her, Captain. Please inform me if she remembers anything. And don't overwhelm her with questions."

"Understood, Your Highness." Imri paused for a second. "Permission to speak freely?" Her Highness nodded, granting him permission. "I'm sure that Miss Brightwing's position… hits pretty close to home," he inwardly winced at his phrasing, but the princess paid it no mind. Eloquent speech wasn't one of his strong points. "I just want you to know that we don't know anything about her. With that Colonel Curtiss from Malkuth on the battlefield, I wouldn't put it past Malkuth to try some sort of infiltration. I know you want to help her, but I just feel like you should stay wary, Your Highness."

"Thank you, Captain," she replied. "That is why you'll be keeping an eye on her. Now, I do have other matters to attend to, so if that is all?" Imri nodded and saluted again. He remained at attention until the princess was out of sight, and then he went back into the amnesiac's room.

She was sitting up again, trying to look out the window with a look of pain on her face. At the sound of the door closing behind him, Cass turned around with a somewhat blank expression on her face, like she was confused or something. Imri gave her a smile as he took up the seat Her Majesty was in a few minutes ago. "Hey, Cassie," he greeted jovially, making her eyebrows furrow in confusion at the name. "Feeling a little better now that you can see outside?"

She stared at him in confusion still. "No… my head and skin… still hurt…"

Imri made a sort of hissing sound, like he was feeling her pain. "Yeah, that's a nasty sunburn you got. The gash on your forehead hasn't been bleeding, though, so that's good. Just take it easy, all right?"

Cass nodded. "I will," she said before turning back to the window. He did the same, checked the sunset out for a minute or two before looking at Cass again. Keeping an eye out for suspicious behavior was a pretty shoddy excuse to stay here, in his opinion. Even if she was acting and the memory loss was all a huge lie, her injuries would make it close to impossible to do anything anytime soon. Not to mention she was possibly the _worst_ candidate to be a spy. If the injuries were inflicted to be convincing, playing at Princess Natalia's compassion, Malkuth pretty much ruined any chance she'd have to get out of bed any time soon.

The princess may have been considered a novice in the use of Seventh Fonons, but he knew from experience that she was good enough to heal something as simple as a sunburn. This chick's fon slots must have been closed, locked, and then buried. They took in almost _nothing._ She was physically weak right now, and if she could barely absorb Seventh Fonons that someone else was controlling, there was no way in hell she was a fonist.

Imri did know that Cass had some form of combat training, just didn't know the extent of it. Her Highness and General Cecille removed both of the weapons she had with her. Who knew where those were now? Chances are she wouldn't get them back anytime soon—if at all—and he could definitely defend himself if she was more of a hands-on kind of girl.

Shifting in his chair slightly, Imri decided to break the silence. "Hey, Cassie, mind if I ask you a question?"

Slowly, she looked away from the window and at the captain. She didn't say anything, but he figured that if she acknowledged that he said something she must just be waiting for him to speak. She definitely didn't mince her words… or speak at all. "I get that you're going through some crap right now, but I just wanna know if you know, all right? Do you remember why you were in Chesedonia?"

Cass looked confused again, eyebrows furrowed together and a small frown on her face. "Chesedonia?" she repeated. She looked like she was thinking about it, which sort of threw Imri off. Did that bash on the really _really_ sent her memories into the void? "I… I do not know... what that is."

Damn. He figured it was pretty bad if she couldn't remember her name at first, but thought that, maybe, it was just some parts of her memory. Not literally everything. It didn't even sound like she knew Chesedonia was a city. No, scratch that. It didn't even sound like she remember how to speak completely.

When Imri didn't say anything else, she must have thought he was done because she faced the window again. He couldn't see them with her back towards him, but he decided he liked the color of her eyes. They reminded him of home, of cold steel just hammered out, perfectly balanced and measured, ready to be put to use on some new fontech device. Her dull blonde hair was messy, had been since General Cecille and Her Majesty found her out in Chesedonia, and looked horrible against her bright red skin. The skin issue would clear up eventually though.

Regardless of his orders, he knew better than to flirt with her as she was now. She was confused and might get the wrong idea. She didn't seem too well-versed in human interaction, if her slow speech was anything to go by. Besides, for all he knew, she could be married or engaged or something. Imri Carnelian was a lot of things, but he wasn't about to add homewrecker to that list.

* * *

**Author's Note: **As an author, I _will _be taking some creative liberties when it comes to world building and Auldrant as a whole. Everything will have a base from canon content (game or otherwise), but I will be endeavoring to make Auldrant more fleshed out in a way that makes physical sense based on its structure and how our own planet Earth works. It _will_ get technical at times, but everything will be explained. If it's confusing, shoot me a PM; I'll try to make it make more sense.


	2. Amnesia

**Disclaimer: **Tales of the Abyss and all characters therein do not belong to me. That honor goes to Namco Bandai. This story is for fun only, and I do not profit from it.

* * *

**Nederim**

Chapter 2 / Amnesia

_"And the moral of the story is that you don't remember what happened. What you remember becomes what happened." – John Green_

* * *

The first week passed by slowly for Cass. Her sunburn eventually went away, but it didn't leave her skin the slightest bit darker. It turned out that her skin was incredibly pale and didn't hold color very well. The lack of melanin was probably why her sunburn was so horrible in the first place. Imri eventually took the bandage off her head once he declared that her wound wouldn't be opening any more (apparently without doctor's consent). She didn't mind. The bandage was uncomfortable and she was happy to be rid of it.

At first Imri left Cass to herself, let her stare out of the window for as long as she wanted, but eventually he began to talk more. He didn't ask her much, and Cass didn't have much to say. She did ask him about how she got here, and he was happy to tell the story and didn't mind when she interrupted to ask a question about something. There was a conflict in Northern Chesedonia between Kimlasca and the Malkuth Empire, he said, and that ended up in a rather devastating battle for both sides of the battlefield. Someone, Cass couldn't remember the name Imri gave her, who led the Malkuth military in the attack, made use of some sort of fonic arte that virtually wiped out General Cecille's troops. There were a lot of casualties, which was why it was taking so long for someone to come see Cass and make sure she was fine. Luckily the Order of Lorelei intervened before Malkuth could do more damage.

It was after that battle, when most of the major injuries were taken care of, that the Kimlascan army began to pull out. They had to leave rather quickly—the amount of Seventh Fonists and doctors they had with them weren't enough to handle the damage that was done—and it was during the journey back to Baticul, where she currently was, that Princess Natalia noticed her lying face down in the sand.

"I was actually controlling the carriage she was in, but I guess I wasn't paying enough attention to notice you or I thought you were dead," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head with a sheepish smile. "But Her Highness, she practically jumped out without even letting me stop or slow down. General Cecille ran out after her, trying to be all polite about the princess running off but I could tell she was completely _done_ and really wanted to get back here to make sure everyone would be all right. Anyway, I stayed back at the carriage, so I don't exactly know what happened when they were checking you out, but eventually the general came back to the carriage, dropped you off in one of the carriages that was carrying the wounded, and we were off to Baticul again."

Imri shrugged. "That's basically it," he finished. "Once we came back here she ordered me to keep watch on your room since I can't use the Seventh Fonons and my bandaging skills are pretty shoddy, but you know that from experience, huh?" He flashed her a cheeky grin and winked.

Cass didn't have anything to compare his injury-wrapping experience to, at least, nothing that she could remember, so she just gave a short nod to agree with him. It bothered her that Natalia would run out to help her. According to Imri, Northern Chesedonia wasn't a safe place to be wandering around at the time—she was still in the middle of the warzone despite the interference of the Order of Lorelei. Cass didn't even know if she was a citizen of Kimlasca. Why would she help her?

"What's with that face?" Imri asked her suddenly. She looked back at him, confused. "You looked confused, well, more than usual. What's bothering you?"

Cass looked back down at her hands, clasped in her lap above the white sheets. She left the bed occasionally, but stayed in it most of the time at Imri's request. She wanted to go outside. "Oh… well… Natalia…" she was having trouble finding the right words for her question. "Why would she… assist me?"

He leaned back in his chair, ran a gloved hand through his blue hair and smiled softly. He left the hand in his bangs as he spoke. "Well, Princess Natalia, she's really something." His tone changed, and Cass didn't really understand it. It sounded… softer? Why was he speaking like that? Was he having trouble putting his sentences together like she did? "She would have tried to help you if you were wearing a Malkuth blue uniform; that's just the kind of person she is. She cares about her citizen's deeply, helps out all those that are stuck in a rut, you know?"

Cass didn't know. She was in the desert, not a hole, and couldn't imagine there were a lot of them in the city. She didn't have time to tell him she didn't understand because he continued. "Her Highness just can't stand to see people hurt. She was over in Chesedonia to cheer us all up, keep our spirits up because war _sucks._ She wants everyone to be happy and safe, including people from Malkuth and amnesiacs like you."

Natalia did seem genuinely concerned for her health in the very short visit she had had when Cass first woke up. Since then, as far as Cass was aware, the princess had yet to stop by again. According to Imri, the doctors were still incredibly busy making sure all of the soldiers that returned would recover hastily. If she helped raise morale on the battlefield, she would likely be making sure that the wounded were surrounded with a positive outlook on their future.

Thinking about this made Cass realize that she never thanked Natalia for her concern or, for that matter, saving her life. It was as Imri said, if the princess did not see her, she would have died. Natalia saved her life when she had no obligation to, especially with the amount of wounded that needed to be brought to a proper medical facility.

There was a sudden knock at the door, and Cass's head shot up. Imri wasn't as surprised by the sound and said, "Looks like Sam finally got the memo, huh?" Cass didn't know who he was talking about and looked away from the door, frowning at Imri. He wasn't looking at her anymore and said, louder than before, "Come on in, Sammy, it's open."

The door opened and two people came in, the taller wasted no time reprimanding Imri. "How many times have I told you not to call me that? It's not even shorter than my real name." He sounded irritated, and the tone of his voice matched the expression he wore on his face. Imri just laughed and stood up from the chair without a word, went back to the wall and leaned against it as Sam went to the foot of the bed, took up the clipboard there, before replacing Imri in the chair.

Cass looked him over as he stared at the clipboard. He looked tired; there were obvious bags under his eyes even his with dark skin. His eyes were brown as well, rapidly moving back and forth as he read, but his hair was white. The other was a petite woman in red that stood nearby, but didn't get too close. The man glanced up at her, furrowed his eyebrows, and looked back down at whatever he was reading. "Cassandra Brightwing? I'm Doctor Sam Couch."

Cass just nodded. She didn't think the doctor would be able to see her—Imri made it seem like there was still so much to attend to, even though a week had passed. "I'm sorry that it took such a long time for someone to tend to you—it's been rather hectic."

She nodded again. "Yes… Imri informed me."

Doctor Couch frowned and turned around to the aforementioned man. "Speaking of him, you can go ahead and leave, Carnelian. You aren't Miss Brightwing's guardian and therefore shouldn't be here."

Imri inhaled sharply and winced. "Ooh, harsh. I'm under orders from Her Majesty, Princess Natalia, to keep an eye on her."

The doctor glared. "Then keep watch _out of the room_. It's against policy to have you in here while we talk about her health." He muttered something under his breath, but Cass wasn't able to make out any words.

She looked back and forth between the two men. They didn't seem to get along, but Imri was smiling from his position against the wall while Doctor Couch's glare became even more heated. Tension was rising, and she felt like it might choke her soon. "Imri," she started, "please listen… to Doctor Couch."

The blue haired man frowned, but got up regardless. "Shout if you need something, all right?" he said before closing the door behind his back.

Sam let out a relieved sounded sigh. "Okay, Miss Brightwing, we're going to look you over for any physical ailments before discussing your mental health. Will that be all right with you?" Cass nodded, and Sam began his work. He made an offhand comment about her sunburn and how it seemed to have healed nicely, and she wondered how he knew she had one in the first place since no one aside from Imri and Natalia had seen her since she lost her memory. He looked over the cut on her head, told her he would try to heal it with Seventh Fonons before there was a bright green light in her vision, almost making her lean away from his hand.

When he finished he was frowning and Cass didn't feel any different. The rest of the checkup went by quickly, and in the end he deemed her healthy—albeit a bit underweight—and gave her permission to walk around for a little bit each day, as long as she had an escort. A flood of warmth spread through her at that news; the view of the window didn't satisfy her desire to see outside. It felt like a lifetime since she had felt the rays of the sun and, in a way, it had been.

Once that was over he began to question her about her amnesia. Apparently the clipboard that was on the bed informed him of her situation. It had been a week, and there had been close to nothing that felt familiar to her. Sam said that perhaps being stuck in the room was hindering her progress at regained her memories, so the walks outside would be incredibly good for her, as she might see something to trigger a memory. Cass told him she remembered seeing silver or white, but couldn't attach the color to anything, not even a particular emotion.

Doctor Couch was already aware that the name Cassandra Brightwing was a placebo, and urged her to start reading, looking for things that would help her. After all, a name would help her more than anything else. She would be able to find out where she was from, why she was in Chesedonia, perhaps her family and where they were.

The appointment ended with him giving her more placeholder personal information.

_Name: Cassandra Brightwing_

_Age: 20-24_

He didn't seem keen on giving her an exact number and she didn't bother questioning it. She decided she was fond of the number 22 (probably because of the double digits and it was in the middle) and mentally deemed that her age until she remembered.

_Date of birth: 14__th__ of Shadow Redecan between the years ND 1991 and ND 1995_

Supposedly the date the Battle of Northern Chesedonia officially ended.

_Location of birth: Chesedonia, Alberria_

Sam made a comment about how Chesedonia was probably the last place Cass was from. She didn't get it.

Once he finished, Sam stood, told Cass to let him know if she remembered any personal details about herself. She asked him how she could inform him, and he said to just send 'that blue haired idiot' to find him.

Doctor Couch and the nurse left and Imri came into the room a moment after, letting out a large sigh once he nearly threw himself into the chair. He said nothing, so Cass decided to speak up. "Hello, Imri."

One corner of the captain's mouth quirked upwards at her greeting. "Great conversation starter there, Cassie. You're learning fast."

"Oh, thank you…" she said. After a second, she bit her lip. "Imri, Doctor Couch said… that I have permission to… go outside. May I?"

Imri nodded. "Yeah, he mentioned that before he left. Wanna go now?"

Cass nodded, enthusiastically removing the white sheets from her body. She had no shoes to wear, and she was wearing a plain white shirt and some white trousers that she figured she was put in once she arrived here, but that didn't bother her. The window only granted a small sliver of blue sky, but underneath that tiny patch of blue was a larger one that she couldn't wait to see. She didn't realize she had been so close to the water; seeing it from afar gave her a feeling of excitement. She didn't know if it was from past experiences or because she had never seen it before she suffered from amnesia.

The blonde had some trouble walking through the halls of the building, but Imri helped her out whenever she stumbled into something. The halls were decorated with greens and reds and golds, so much different than the stark white room she had been confined to for the last week. After a few minutes of traversing the labyrinthine hallways (with ease thanks to Imri's guidance), the paired finally arrived at a door, and the captain pushed it open, held it for Cass to walk through first.

The rays from the sun immediately warmed her skin, and she inhaled deeply. The air felt weird, in a way that she couldn't quite place. Stepping farther out into the sunlight, Cass looked around. Her bare feet stood on paved ground, the cobbles warming her from absorbing the sun's heat all day long. It was all brown and sort of plain, but there was a beautiful fountain surrounded by some plants that were neatly organized. For some reason that struck her as odd, and no matter how long she stared at the flowers she couldn't figure out exactly _why_ it was odd.

Imri told her to stay on this level, saying that going to a lower tier without shoes wouldn't be safe, and she didn't really know what he meant by tiers, but she heeded his words regardless. The captain didn't talk, and he seemed to be fine with just standing outside like she was. He must have been getting as tired of the white wall as she was.

Cass frowned. Perhaps she should let him have time to himself. Imri was really the only person she knew, but he must know so many other people. And if he was watching her all day, he wouldn't be able to see any friends or family. He had been so kind—she should stop making him keep her company all day long. Another soldier could watch her.

There wasn't much to see on the tier of Baticul that she was confined to. There was little greenry, almost everything was paved and buildings surrounded half of the tier. There was the hospital that she was currently staying at, some sort of military building next to it, and a few other buildings that did not distinguish themselves from one another. She couldn't even see the ocean, buildings blocked everything, and the view leading further into the city was just that. A view of the city.

Baticul was nearly all browns and grays, and not necessarily the earthy types. It was all incredibly industrial, with smatterings of other colors from banners and clothing and shops here and there. On the horizon she could make out a line of trees, but it was so far away and so much lower than where she currently was. There was a haze of light brown that tinted the skyline and she frowned at the sight. It should be blue.

Cass didn't spend too much time outside before Imri suggested they go back. Once they entered her room again, he asked her if she felt any better now that she was able to stretch her legs. Cass just nodded and went back to looking out of the window, trying to catch sight of the ocean.

"You don't look like you feel any better," Imri observed from his usual spot.

"I do," she told him, turning around to face him. "My legs… do not feel as stiff."

Imri shook his head. "Not what I meant. You wouldn't be staring outside of the window like an indoor cat if you felt better."

"I thought… that I would be able… to see the ocean… Or trees…"

He frowned. "Sorry to tell you, but that window is probably gonna be your best view of the ocean in Baticul. Unless you go to the port, but all of the ships would probably ruin that view for you, huh?" Imri paused. "But hey, if you're not happy with a city view, that kind of narrows down the places that you're from."

Cass's eyes narrowed slightly in confusion. Imri grinned at her expression and explained. "There's tons of smaller cities all over. I'll be right back; lemme get an atlas." The captain left the room and, figuring they were going to be talking about something for a while, Cass made her way back to the bed and sat on the sheets. He returned a few minutes later with a book and flipped through it until he came to a map of the Kingdom of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear.

The next few hours were spent with Imri telling her about various places around the planet. He focused mainly on the larger cities—the ones that warranted a name on the map that showed the most land. None of the names stuck out to her. Some sounded vaguely familiar, but not enough that she thought she had ever had any memories associated with any of the locations. Eventually the sun set and Imri had to leave. They bid each other goodbye, and Cass went to sleep soon afterwards.

She dreamed of silver and white again.

* * *

It wasn't often that Imri would walk through the markets of Baticul and see something that would catch his eye. It was even less likely that whatever caught his eye would be an object and not some pretty girl. So when he walked past the florist shop, all the bright and beautiful plants on display in the window, he decided to walk on in.

Cass was incredibly disappointed at how… he guessed boring Baticul seemed. Personally he liked that big city feel, but he got that it wasn't everyone's cup of tea. Apparently she had a thing for nature and the ocean, but bringing her to the ocean would be a bit impossible at this point in time. She had no shoes, the port was almost always busy, and he doubted General Cecille would approve of her being so far away from the military's watch. Some plant, though, that would be easy enough to bring into her room. It'd definitely be a nice change to all that horrible white she was surrounded with.

He decided against flowers, instead choosing some sort of leafy thing with small yellow bulbs that smelled fairly sweet and earthy and was in its own pot so it wouldn't die in a day. He brought it up to the cashier, talked with her a bit, and managed to get a nice discount (because he was in the military, she said. Yeah, right).

After a smile and a wink to the cashier, Imri left the shop and headed back to the hospital. Cass was already awake and, big surprise here, she was staring out of the window. "Hey, Cassie," he announced, shoving the door closed with his hip. "Thought you needed some color in your life, so I got this for you."

The blonde turned away from the window with that perpetually confused expression plastered on her face. Her mouth opened, like she was about to say something, but then her eyes drifted to the plant and she inhaled sharply, jumping out of the bed and nearly falling over in the process.

Imri placed the plant down quickly, immediately holding out his hands to try and keep Cass from falling all over the place. "Whoa, hey, everything all right?!"

Her gray eyes were wide and she completely ignored him, nearly shoved him away. "Let me-!" she cried, not even bothering to finish as she stumbled over to the plant, touching it gingerly. Her expression was absolutely focused as she stared at it, and Imri could do nothing expect wonder why the hell she was getting so worked up over an ordinary plant. He looked at it again. There wasn't anything remarkable about it, as far as he could tell. He might not be a botanist, but the leaves looked the same as all the other trees in the area and the small bulbs seemed normal. It was spring, and most other plants were beginning to flower.

He stood in silence, completely confused as to what he was supposed to do. Cass didn't seem to be bothered, so that was a good sign, at least. Just in case she began to fall or something, he went to stand a little closer to her. Imri began to get a little worried after five minutes of her scrutinizing the plant intensely.

Cass inhaled deeply. "Cinnamomum…"

Imri blinked, dumbfounded. "Huh?"

"This…" she mumbled, voice shaking slightly, not even bothering to look at him while she talked. He was taken aback again. She _always_ looked at whoever she was speaking to. "Imri, I… My name is Cassia…"

Holy hell.

He _never_ would have thought that such a simple, unassuming plant would be able to trigger her into remembering her name. Of all the things that were in the store… who would have thought it would be something so ordinary? This was great! Maybe he'd take that cashier out as thanks. But, at the moment, there were more important things to attend to. "Stay put. I'm going to see if I can get Princess Natalia here anytime soon." Without waiting for a response, Imri left the room again.

It didn't take long for him to learn that the princess was over at her fiancé's manor, and he was allowed entrance without any fuss. Standing in the waiting room, one of the maids went off to go fetch Her Highness for him. She showed up shortly after. "Captain Carnelian, is something the matter?" she asked, worried.

Imri saluted. "Your Majesty, I thought you'd want to know that Miss Brightwing regained… quite an important piece of her memory."

Princess Natalia's hand flew to her mouth to cover a gasp. Green eyes widened in shock. She turned to the maid that went to find her the first time, said, "Inform Luke that I had to leave unexpectedly, but to keep trying," before turning to Imri again. "Lead the way, Captain."

He did as he was told, brought Princess Natalia to Cass's room. The blonde was back in the bed, but it looked like she moved the plant over to the table by the side of the bed. "Hello, Natalia," she greeted softly, looking happier than Imri had ever seen her (though her smile could hardly be called that, the corners of her mouth were lifted maybe half a centimeter upwards).

"Hello," Natalia replied, a smile on her face that was obviously a smile. "Captain Carnelian informed me that you remembered something and I hurried over."

Cass nodded. "Yes… my name is Cassia."

The princess's head tilted to the side slightly. "Cassia. That's a lovely name. How did you remember?"

Slowly, Cass went and picked up the plant, held it in her lap. "Imri gave me this… It was… around home… I think…"

Her Highness held out her hands, asked if she could hold the plant and Cass handed it over, folded her hands back in her lap. The blonde looked it over and apparently felt the same way about it as Imri did. Her smile fell the smallest it, and she looked a little confused, like she didn't understand how something so normal could trigger a memory. She handed it back and Cass put it back on the table.

"Cassia, would you allow me to help you regain your memory?" she asked after a moment of silence. "My fiancé is suffering from memory loss as well; I'm hoping you two could assist one another."

"Oh…" Cass started, lips turned downwards slightly. "I do not… wish… to be a burden…"

"It is my duty to help my people," Her Highness announced, "and I consider you a citizen of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear now."

Cass looked down at her hands, sort of demure, before she mumbled that she would be honored to have the princess's assistance. Princess Natalia's grin grew. "You'll be an honored guest at the castle, then," she decided. "Captain Carnelian, you are relieved of the task of watching over Cassia. Thank you for your assistance, but I'm sure Generals Cecille and Goldberg could use your aid still."

They definitely could. While the hospital wasn't panicking as much as it was a week ago, there was still so much to deal with now that the Battle of Northern Chesedonia was over with. And that meant paperwork. Imri groaned inwardly. He'd rather babysit. Without announcing his grievances, Imri saluted with a simple, "Understood, Your Highness." He turned towards Cass. "See ya around, Cassie."

She nodded. "I... certainly hope so."

He figured she didn't realize that it was just a phrase, but nodded and grinned nonetheless. Chances were he _wouldn't_ be seeing her around, but hey, there was always the possibility.


	3. Reflection

**Disclaimer: **Tales of the Abyss and all characters therein do not belong to me. That honor goes to Namco Bandai. This story is for fun only, and I do not profit from it.

* * *

**Nederim**

Chapter 3 / Reflection

_"Friendship is born at that moment when one man says to another: 'What! You too? I thought that no one but myself…'" – C. S. Lewis_

* * *

Natalia sat calmly at the long table with her aunt and uncle, like she had done so many times before. It wasn't often that she discussed Luke's amnesia with them, the topic greatly upset Auntie Suzanne, but the princess thought that this would be a more optimistic approach. She was sure that both of them had nearly given up hope that their son would ever get his memories back.

"He's been exposed to everything in the manor for seven years now, Natalia," her aunt said. "Surely that would have triggered _something_."

The princess was trying to convince them to let Luke out of the manor, if even for an hour. As a child he would wander a little, not too far into Baticul, but perhaps being exposed to something that the manor couldn't offer him would help. "I know, Auntie," she replied, softening her tone. "It has helped Cassia. She would not have remembered her name if she did not see a specific type of plant."

"This Cassia, her amnesia doesn't seem to be related to Luke's at all. From what you've told us, she remembered how to speak on her own. How would triggers that work for her work for our son?" her uncle cut in, and Natalia unconsciously tried to straighten her already perfect posture. "Malkuth fonon technology tends to backfire on itself—that is what happened at Hod. I imagine that's what happened here. The outcome simply wasn't the same as Luke's and so triggers for her won't work."

After Natalia spoke to her aunt and uncle about Cassia's situation, Uncle Crimson seemed rather convinced that this was Malkuth's fault. She didn't dispute it; after all, it seemed that Malkuth did indeed have the technology to cause amnesia. As for the collapse of Hod, both she and her uncle thought that whatever weapon they were using to retaliate against Kimlasca's occupation of the island backfired, resulting in its destruction. The Malkuth Empire didn't have the resources of Sheridan and Belkend for their fonon technology, so it wasn't really a surprise that this happened (as awful as it was).

"Please, just consider it, Uncle," Natalia replied. "Perhaps a short visit to the port, or just a trip to the castle. We have not tried to expose Luke to anything outside of Fabre Manor. It may work."

Auntie Suzanne looked over at her husband, a look of concern on her face. She looked so tired, so upset, and Natalia almost regretted bringing this up again. She knew this subject wasn't good for her aunt's health, but Natalia couldn't just let this go when it could help her fiancé. She was willing to try almost anything for him to regain his memory of their promise, his family, _anything._

In the end, the decision fell to her uncle, and he wasn't willing to risk Luke getting kidnapped again. It was hard enough to find him in the manor occasionally, it would be close to impossible to find him if he decided he didn't want to be found. Natalia understood his reasoning, but she wouldn't let this conversation end without something good coming out of it.

"Then, perhaps you would consider letting Cassia join in Luke's studies?" she asked, almost pleading at this point. "It would help her, and I believe having someone that Luke could relate to would help him as well."

"You seem very insistent on helping this girl, Natalia," Uncle Crimson observed. And he was right. Natalia wanted to help her however she could. "You don't know if she's a Malkuth spy or not. You would put Luke at risk like this?"

"I don't believe she is a threat, Uncle. I've considered this," she explained, remembering the captain's similar feelings on the matter. "When I am not there, I've had a soldier watch after her. She has made no attempt at communication with anyone. Her fon slots are sealed as well, so she would be unable to cast artes if she was a fonist." Natalia purposefully left out the piece where Cassia was found with two weapons. She should have told them, but that would just lessen the chances of giving Luke someone that understood what he was going through. "Someone like Cassia could be the type of friend he needs to overcome his trauma."

Suzanne spoke up after a moment of silence. "Dear, please consider. I trust Natalia's judgment."

Crimson sighed slightly. "Let me think this over tonight," he conceded. "I'll let you know when you visit in the morning."

The princess smiled brightly and said, "Thank you so much, Uncle, Auntie, for your consideration."

Natalia left shortly after a less stressful conversation with the pair and a short visit to Luke. She smiled smugly to herself. If her Auntie Suzanne was on her side, then her uncle was sure to comply eventually. His weakness was his wife, and his wife's weakness was her son's happiness.

When Natalia paid a visit to Fabre Manor the following morning, her uncle agreed to have Cassia join Luke's lessons. The expected result—it was rare that the princess did not get her way if she had something to say about it.

* * *

"Where could he be…?" Natalia murmured to herself, eyebrows drawn together in confusion and worry. Cassia didn't know how to reply to the question, so she refrained from speaking. Instead, she just glanced around the courtyard of Fabre Manor.

It was a large, circular area surrounded by flowers in curved planters. Each set was filled with a myriad of different colors that complemented each other nicely, and filled the open area with a lovely mixed of floral scents. She could see a line of trees in the distance, probably still within the grounds of the manor since she could not see anything that would block her from reaching them from where she stood. Maids dressed in brown and red walked around, typically in pairs and usually carrying a bag or box of something.

Today was the day that Natalia deemed Cass well enough to meet her fiancé, Luke. It had been about three months since she arrived in Baticul, and her memory hardly improved after she moved from the hospital to the castle. There was nothing familiar anywhere, and while her name came to her in a dream, nothing else did aside from colors and wordless voices.

Natalia had talked about this to her before, just a few days ago. She thought that Cass and Luke would be able to help one another retrieve their memories. Cassia didn't know how someone without memories could help someone else regain theirs, but the princess seemed to think it would work. Cass hoped it would. She would like to help Luke since he was so important to Natalia.

The princess picked up her pace suddenly, and Cass hurried to catch up to her. She walked up to a blond man and tapped him on his shoulder, a look of impatience on her face.

The blond turned around, but almost instantly jumped backwards with a gasp as he realized who it was. Something crashed to the ground, and Cass directed her attention to the new mess. There were pieces of gray metal objects all over. Neither Natalia nor the blond made a move to collect any of them, so Cass left them alone.

"Y-Your Majesty! Please don't sneak up on me!"

"Guy! You need to get over this silly fear of yours. Honestly, it is just embarrassing," Natalia said disapprovingly. Cass narrowed her eyes. Being startled didn't seem like a fear of something; hadn't she had a similar reaction to waking up in the white room? Perhaps he, Guy apparently was his name, didn't like being touched.

"You know I can't!" He sounded exasperated, similar to how Doctor Couch spoke to Imri.

Natalia shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. "Where's Luke?" she demanded, finished with the subject of his fear. "I must introduce him to Cassia. She will be joining him during his lessons."

Guy's bright blue eyes flitted to Cass's gray ones for a moment before he turned to the princess again. "I'm not sure. He just finished up his swordplay lessons, so I'd think he'd be in his room, getting ready for dinner." He looked back to the other girl with a friendly smile. "I'm Guy, by the way, a servant here. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Remembering his reaction to Natalia, Cass decided to keep her distance. Clasping her hands in front of her, she bowed just slightly. "I am Cass…ia."

"We looked there already," Natalia began. "You have to help me find him, Guy. You know better than anyone where he might be." There was a subtle change in her voice, but Cass couldn't figure out what it was. That was beginning to bother her—being able to detect all these slight shifts but not being able to figure out their causes.

Guy bowed his head. "Of course, Your Majesty. Just let me…" he reached down to pick up the gray pieces that he dropped.

"Now."

He straightened back up at her command. "Right. Come on."

Cass nearly went to pick up the pieces of metal, but wasn't able to grab any of them before Guy and Natalia were walking away. Guy was incredibly polite, but Cass figured it was from life as a servant and being in the presence of royalty. Imri was like that—he spoke colloquially around her, but if Natalia was around his language would become much more formal. He was just a few inches taller than Cassia's tall five foot eight, and the messiness of his hair rivaled her own.

She followed the two around the manor for a few minutes, and Cass and Guy talked a little. He asked her why she needed to sit in on the lessons—they were pretty basic in his opinion—but Natalia informed him that Cass suffered from amnesia at the hands of the Malkuth Empire.

"Really? I'm sorry to hear that," he said, before turning to look at Natalia. "Is it like…" he trailed off.

The princess shook her head. "Thankfully, no," she replied. "I hope that they can assist one another in regaining their memories. Cassia has remembered some things already; I would like to see if certain triggers of hers will work with Luke and vice versa."

"It's worth a try," Guy said, shrugging just slightly, looking over his shoulder to the blonde. "What was it that helped you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I do not mind…" Cass responded. "It was… cinnamomum. It is… a plant…"

He looked confused. "A plant?" he repeated.

Cass nodded, but Natalia was the one to answer for her. "She said it grew around her home. I have not had time to research it, but the gardener here might know of it. He's quite the botanist."

Guy laughed. "Yeah, Pere's interest in nature extends a lot farther than these flowers. I wouldn't put it past him to know about this plant. You should ask him about it if you get the chance, Cassia." Cass nodded again. Hopefully Guy would be able to introduce her to Pere later.

A few minutes later they stopped at a small gathering of trees, right beside the outer walls of the manor. Someone was up in one of the trees, and he jumped down gracefully at Natalia's behest. She introduced Cass to him. "Luke, this is Cassia," she started, motioning to the other girl. Cass bowed her head politely, like she had done with Guy. "She will be joining you during your lessons."

He didn't look happy or upset, but his expression was vaguely hostile. It didn't change at all after his green eyes gave her a once-over. "Why?"

"She is also suffering from amnesia. It is my duty as princess of Kimlasca to help my people," she explained kindly.

Luke looked over at Cass again, eyes slightly narrowed.

"So you just picked some random chick off the street? You don't know where she's been!"

Cassia's eyebrows came together and she frowned. "Natalia knows… where I have been…" she told Luke. The princess probably knew more about where she had been than Cass did herself. She wouldn't dispute the 'random' comment, even though she was found in a desert, but Luke probably didn't know the entire story.

Luke's frown deepened but his face didn't seem as unfriendly.

"Luke! That is no way to talk to your peer," Natalia reprimanded. "Cassia will be joining you for your lessons." Her voice held finality.

The redhead didn't say anything for a moment, but turned away from the three with a huff. "Whatever. As long as she doesn't try to join my lessons with Master Van," he muttered.

Cass never did join on his 'lessons with Master Van,' as she never went to the manor during them. Van only came by once a week and all other scholarly lessons were cancelled on those days so she had no reason to join in or even watch them. Instead, Cass helped Natalia with anything she needed assistance with, with the princess's permission of course. She didn't do much because Natalia wanted her to be relaxed, hoping a calm, unstressed environment would help her with her memories.

It didn't. Nothing really did. Another month passed and she couldn't recall anything about who she was, where she lived, or anyone she knew. A heavy weight fell on her after a month of close to no progress. Cass began to feel like she was disappointing Natalia. The blonde knew she was there mostly to help Luke regain his memories, but her presence had not helped him at all. Cass told the princess this after Natalia had asked why she looked so upset.

"Of course you are helping Luke!" Natalia had assured her. "He is putting so much more effort into his studies now. I believe it is because of you."

And Luke really had been improving, not that Cass had much to compare with. Science, politics, and geography ended up being things Cassia grasped easily. Whether or not it was from past knowledge, she didn't know. She just knew that looking at a map didn't help her with locating the place she was from—it was as if she had never seen one before. Fonology and earth science came to her easily, the former of which Natalia thought was odd because her fon slots were hardly open, as if Cass had never cast an arte in her life. The latter made sense; Cass loved nature and would always want to spend her time outside. Something about it just… agreed with her at a deeper level.

Writing was difficult for her. She couldn't remember the Fonic alphabet. The characters were weird, and she had trouble remembering the phonetics for each one. Her handwriting was atrocious too—the letters taking on sharp angles instead of being smooth and rounded. As for anything with numbers… Cassia struggled. Even in the science work. She could understand the concepts with ease, but any problems she needed so solve seemed to fly over her head and leave her frowning in thought at her homework.

Surprisingly, math and the like came easily to Luke. She asked him for help once, a few weeks into their lessons, and he helped her with her work. Told her exactly what she was doing wrong and how to fix it (but not without a comment like, 'Jeez, how stupid can you be? This is easy stuff!'). The noble did not do well with fonology or geography, and Cass was glad to help him with the subjects (not that he would admit she was helping him). They helped each other out, and both Guy and Natalia seemed happy about that. Guy was thankful that most of Luke's rude comments went unnoticed by Cass; harsh words didn't seem to affect her too much, if at all, and she took things pretty literally which would cause Luke to drop the barrage of sarcastic remarks he used with others.

When she was waiting for Natalia to stop by the manor after her classes, Cassia would speak with Luke and Guy. She and Guy shared an interest in science, and she was curious about the fon machines he kept talking about. Whenever that came up, though, Luke would always end up changing the subject, saying he wouldn't be able to handle 'that nerd stuff.' Guy would laugh and then oblige, so they didn't talk too much about the topic.

Like he said when they first met, Guy introduced Cassia to Pere, the manor's gardener. He was so smart and kind and his extensive knowledge of plants came in handy when Cass asked him about the one Imri gave her. He said it grew in moderate-high altitudes with a relatively dry climate. Mountain ranges, he had told her. Looking at a map to see where they might grow did not help—aside from central Malkuth, most places had a range of mountains that would probably grow the plant.

After the first six months, shortly after Natalia's seventeenth birthday, the princess offered Cass a position as a maid in the castle. She accepted the position, hoping it would even begin to repay the princess for everything she had done. Cassia was so incredibly grateful for everything Natalia had done for her, and not being able to help with Luke's memory loss made her feel as if she wasn't doing enough to repay her.

Cleaning and helping around the castle was a familiar feeling for Cassia, and at this point she recognized the feeling of déjà vu. Cleaning didn't really help her recall anything about her past. In fact, she had nearly given up on remembering. Her dreams were filled with voices whispering yet not speaking any words and silver and white. There was nothing that stood out during them—she couldn't even distinguish the sex of the voices.

Cassia spent more time at Fabre Manor as a maid. Usually she would deliver messages back and forth between the castle and the manor (usually to Luke, but occasionally she'd speak with the Duke and Duchess Fabre). Her breaks and days off found her outside of the city, finally getting away for the loud sounds and into the cleaner air just outside of Baticul's borders.

It was raining when Cass decided on staying in the company of Guy and Pere on her day off, instead of outside of the city. She met Van Grants that day. He was a few years older than her, intimidating but still rather polite. He was there to instruct Luke in swordfighting. She never saw her friend fight before, never seen anyone fight before as far as she knew, and asked if she could sit to the side and watch. With a warm chuckle, he said it was fine.

Luke was not pleased with the new addition to the audience.

Cassia assured him that she wouldn't ask for any lessons from his teacher, remembering his only request when they first met. He eyed her warily, but eventually decided to ignore her and go through with his lesson. The blonde watched silently, ignored Guy's and Pere's commentary. Watching the two brought about another feeling of déjà vu. Much, much, stronger than any other she had before. Despite that, nothing came to her at the time, completely unlike when she remembered her first name. To say she was disappointed was an understatement.

When she spoke with Natalia later that day she kept that to herself. She didn't want the princess to know that, no matter how she tried, her memories were just out of reach. At nightfall she went back to the room she shared with a younger girl, Amber, and fell into the abyss of sleep.

_"Limlal, why are you just sitting there?"_

_Warmth. Love. Comfort. A plethora of feelings washed over Cassia at the deep voice. He called her a treasure—something she rarely felt like unless she was with him. He made her happy, made her feel loved. Where would she be without him? She didn't know, and she didn't want to live in a world without him as her guide, the light and joy of her life._

_"Daddy!" Cassia immediately got up, stumbling a little bit because her leg had fallen asleep. "I was waiting for you. You promised that you would teach me today, remember?"_

_He chuckled slightly, in that way all fathers do around their children, and a blossom of warmth filled her body again. He was so wonderful, always managing to make time for her despite how busy he was. She knew everything that was put on his shoulders (well, maybe not _everything_). Everything he had to work with would eventually fall to her. "Of course I remember. Why are you not ready, Cassia? Everything should be prepared _before_ their use is necessary. I've taught you this."_

_Of course she knew, but a small mistake like this wasn't enough for him to scold her any more than lightly. As sensitive as she was, she would manage with the tone because it meant he would help her set up. Besides, she had gathered everything they needed, the room just needed to be set up. _

_Cassia bowed slightly to her father and apologized, only half meaning it. It would make him happy if she put to use all those etiquette lessons that had been forced on her. Without another word, she grabbed her weapons, twin blades that matched her father's—the ones that she'd have one day when he decided she was ready for them. It wouldn't be much longer now, she figured. Daddy often praised her for how easily things came to her. She just needed to learn how to fight and steel herself. Today would help with the former and having to talk with _her_ would help with the latter._

_The room was set up quickly and the lessons began. He became unshakable, swift, deadly, calculating, everything she aspired to be. Everything she knew she would have to be. He'd tell her the things she was doing wrong, how to correct her form, and his tone was impersonal and cold and it stung a little bit. But then he'd reach out a large hand to help her up when she fell down, and everything was all right again. The unshakable part might take time to master—dealing with people wasn't easy in such a secluded area—but everything else would likely come to her easily. She was her father's daughter after all._


	4. Someday I Suppose

**Disclaimer: **Tales of the Abyss and all characters therein do not belong to me. That honor goes to Namco Bandai. This story is for fun only, and I do not profit from it.

* * *

**Nederim**

Chapter 4 / Someday I Suppose

_"Could be I can't remember, could be I choose to not. Let's move along the song and try to find the plot." - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones_

* * *

Imri didn't really know how to feel about General Cecille calling him in. He didn't _think _he messed up on his paperwork or anything, but there's just been so much of it and it all sort of blended together in a blur of paper and ink stains on his hands. He really needed to invest in some new writing utensils—his were terrible.

Or maybe he was going to get reprimanded for something? It had been a while since someone told him not to flirt so much. A wink and sweet word here and there weren't doing any harm—it wasn't like he was on duty or anything. Okay, _occasionally_ he'd hit on a coworker of his, but just in a joking manner and _everyone _knew that by now. He knew better than to let personal and professional lives mix. People really needed to get off his back about that, too. He wasn't stupid.

General Cecille beckoned him inside her office shortly after he knocked, something he wasn't even aware he did. Must have been a force of habit—get called to a superior officer's office, knock, get called in. Imri opened the door and shut it behind him, saluting and being all proper like he was supposed to.

"Captain, have you taught anyone how to fight before?" she asked, cutting straight to the chase.

That certainly wasn't a question he was expecting, and it took him a second to answer her. "No, General. My father taught me, though, and I remember most of the drills." He wanted to ask what made this come up. His fighting style wasn't exactly unique or special. They were just dual blades, plain and simple. He had hand-to-hand experience, too, but everyone in the military did. He knew General Cecille wasn't talking about that.

"Her Highness Princess Natalia requested a tutor," she explained, thankfully reading Imri's mind. "Your combat style was similar to what she was looking for. Is this a task you would be able to take on, Captain?"

Her Majesty? Really? Wanting help with _swords_? She was always pretty focused on her archery and healing, why would she want to branch out now? And why not ask for someone, he didn't know, _better than him_? He was skilled, yeah, but definitely not the best. His grey-haired father could probably still wipe the floor with him! "Uh, yes," he replied. "I believe I'd be able to help." He didn't ask any of the questions he wanted answers to. Hopefully the general would explain because he was really confused about the task.

She dismissed him without going into any more detail, just told him to go to the castle tomorrow at noon, and he almost banged his head against the wall in frustration. Sure, General Cecille might not have had all the information herself, but would it kill someone to be a little less vague? It was annoying as hell, and he really wanted a better idea of what he was getting himself into. Her Highness was dedicated, so teaching her shouldn't be too difficult. But what if he wasn't even instructing her? Luke used swords, maybe Commandant Grants had something to do with the Oracle Knights and Imri was filling in for a bit? That made more sense than Princess Natalia suddenly deciding to pick up some blades and throw her bow to the side.

He decided that was it, and spent the rest of his night ignoring the stack of paperwork, choosing instead to try and remember everything his old man taught him and how he taught.

* * *

Imri was at the castle well before noon. He did _not _ want to keep Princess Natalia waiting and didn't want to risk leaving with just enough time to reach the castle, only to be stuck somewhere by some cruel twist of fate. So here he was, sitting in one of the many waiting rooms, like he had been for the last fifteen minutes. Only five more to go!

He'd already spent the first ten minutes examining everything in the room three times. It wasn't often he was invited to the palace, and he'd never had the chance to actually look at anything so closely before. It was all so lavish and beautiful and expensive looking, he nearly wanted to take something small, like a candle holder or something. Not to sell or anything—being a soldier of his rank paid well enough—but just to have it. White Knights were busy patrolling and Imri didn't want to distract any he might know from their duties, so he didn't bother trying to strike up a conversation with one when they passed by.

He checked over his mental list of everything his father taught him, hoping that _whoever_ he was supposed to be helping wouldn't be a pain in the ass to deal with. Imri tried not to think about whom he was training and stay focused on _what _was being taught. The lack of information he'd been given was annoying, and if he stayed on that train of thought for too long he'd just put himself in a bad mood.

But really, _would it kill anyone to just be forthcoming with important stuff like this?!_

A soldier stopped at the threshold to the waiting room then, thank Lorelei. Imri didn't recognize him, but couldn't be more relieved to be summoned three minutes sooner than he thought. The White Knight led him out and into a training room before leaving, saying Her Highness would be there shortly.

More waiting. He heaved an annoyed sigh and tied back his blue hair so it wouldn't get in his face. At least he was in a new place to look over. The room was pretty bare, some archery targets were against the wall and an array of weapons was on another. The floor was flat and somewhat squishy, so that'd be nice if someone was knocked down. A minute later, right at noon, Princess Natalia walked into the room, followed by another familiar face.

Princess Natalia looked as regal as ever, even a little older since the last time Imri saw her a year or so ago. It took him a second to recognize the blonde that followed her in. It was that chick he watched over after the Battle of Northern Chesedonia! Cass… something. He remembered calling her Cassie.

He hadn't seen her since he'd been relieved of babysitter duty. He recalled that she always looked confused and out of it, and it seemed like she was more aware now. Why was she here, though? Shouldn't she be back home with her family or something? She was remembering things from plants, it couldn't take that long to remember other important stuff from walking around the city.

Cassie visibly brightened when she saw the captain standing there in the middle of the room. It was sort of subtle, but she definitely looked happy to see him. But who wouldn't be, really? Imri gave her a charming smile. "Heeeyy… Cassie! Long time no see! What's up?" He saluted to Her Highness as she approached and greeted her much more formally.

Princess Natalia smiled back at him. "I see you recall your ward, Cassia, Captain," was her reply.

Right. _Cassia._ He'd have thought it would have been easier to dredge up, considering she freaked out when she remembered. Apparently not.

"Hello, Imri," Cassie said from Her Highness's side, that shadow of a smile on her face. "It has been such a long time."

"Yeah, it has, huh? I'd have thought you'd have gone home by now. Did you just decide to stay in Baticul?" If he remembered right, she didn't like the city all that much. Maybe Princess Natalia convinced her to stay for some reason.

Cassie's face fell slightly and the princess answered the question for her. "That is actually why you're here, Captain," she said. "Memories have not… come easily to Cassia this past year. She still has not remembered her past, though a few days ago she watched Luke's swordfighting lesson with Commandant Grants. She recalled something from their practice. We were hoping that if she continued her own lessons that would evoke more memories.

"The fighting style she described seemed most similar to yours, thus your presence here. You would be willing to instruct her, correct?"

Well, yeah, why else would he be here? He didn't say that, instead stuck with a simple, "Of course, Your Majesty." He was just glad that everything was all cleared up now. After his affirmation, Princess Natalia continued talking, saying that someone else would take care of most of his other duties which meant _no paperwork._ That alone made all the frustrating vagueness of this whole thing worth it. She spoke more about the lessons, and Imri didn't pay all that much attention despite the fact that he really shouldn't be ignoring anything Her Highness was saying. He couldn't help it, though, since he was too busy reveling in the lack of mundane work he'd have to do.

Princess Natalia left once she finished and Imri acknowledged that he understood what she wanted, even though he really didn't. It couldn't be that complicated, after all. Instead of jumping right into it and grabbing some practice weapons, he decided to talk with Cassie for a bit. She looked better (healthier!) than he remembered and she probably missed him if her reaction was anything to go by.

And so they sat on the floor of the training room, neither really making effort to begin lessons anytime soon. Like he thought, the blonde had missed his company but had replaced him over time with other maids and servants around the castle and Fabre Manor. Colloquialisms and sarcasm flew over her head still (to his question, "What's been up with you?" she responded, with _utmost sincerity_, "Typically ceilings, but on my days off it is the sky." It took quite a bit of effort to keep his amusement contained). She was no longer pausing every three words, so she had improved in that aspect of conversation at least. Perhaps he should consider easing her into the way normal people talk so she wouldn't respond to everything so seriously. Contractions, too—she spoke nearly as stuffy as nobles did and it was weird since she was clearly not a noble. People would have been looking for her if she was.

After catching up for close to an hour, Imri decided it was about time to get working. Getting to know her again would help he figured, and it was actually sort of nice to talk to her now that it didn't take forever for her to say something. She seemed genuinely interested in how the past year had been for him as well and that was a nice change of pace from most women he talked to. He sent Cassie over to the wall with all the practice weapons, told her to pick out two sets: one for him and one for her to use. He really didn't think she'd call him over for something like that, didn't she know what she wanted?

Turns out she did, she knew exactly what she wanted to use and just needed his help. Cass had picked out two daggers that looked small enough to be throwing knives as well as two short blades that were closer to what he used. Along with the weapons she had two belts and he raised an eyebrow playfully at her. "Didn't think you'd be into that sort of thing, Cassie," he couldn't stop himself from saying.

She tilted her head like a bird at him, that expression of intense confusion from a year ago on her face. "What 'sort of thing?'" she asked. "I just… need assistance putting the daggers on my wrist," she explained. "I do not believe I held the daggers, but I know I had them…"

Imri decided not to tease her and ignored her question. As for the daggers, that must have been something she remembered, like Princess Natalia said. Still, he didn't think they'd stay secure on her wrist for very long. "How about we leave that out for now?" he suggested. "I don't think belts would help all that much, especially with how much movement goes into combat. Just stick with hand-to-hand for now, all right?"

Cass nodded in agreement and headed back into the center of the room. Imri stayed behind, decided to pick up the swords she chose before following her back. "All right! Let's see what you got," he told her. "Come at me with everything you have; don't worry about hurting me, okay?" She nodded again and got into an unusual fighting stance, definitely different than how the military taught. She hesitated for a bit before running at him.

Imri went on the defensive, staying focused to gauge her skill. Cass was incredibly fast, which he didn't really expect but adjusted to well enough. At first her attacks were slow and didn't have any confidence behind them, like she didn't know what she was doing or didn't want to hurt him, but it wasn't long before her confidence grew and began to move differently.

He noted that her expression changed—she became much more focused and intense than she was when they started and her punches and kicks melded together, almost like a dance—she was more fluid in her movements. Her blows became more precise, aiming for certain pressure points and organs so he _knew_ that she had quite a bit of knowledge in combat, whether she remembered or not.

The captain stepped it up a notch, dodging another fist from her and moving to the side, swinging one of his swords towards her side. She twisted away and danced around him lithely, landing a blow to his back before he could fully turn around.

He stumbled a little, mostly because he was knocked off balance. The hit didn't hurt all that much; either she wasn't very strong or wasn't trying. If it was the latter, he'd have to fix that. He decided then to go on the offensive, see how she was at defending herself. He didn't necessarily go easy on her, but didn't treat this like a fight for his life either. Most of the time she'd dodge and then retaliate, but it didn't take long for him to find a weakness and start to exploit it.

On higher slashes, Cass would raise her wrists and try to block to weapon with her wrist or lower forearm, as if she had armor on or had a shield. That was interesting for him, but she'd definitely have trouble moving them for a while. Once her attacks became even weaker and she started to slow down Imri chose to put an end to the fight and knocked her to the ground with relative ease. With a wooden blade pressed against her neck, he smirked down at her for half a second before reaching down, trying not to touch the already-bruising wrist as he helped her stand.

They sparred a little more that day, but eventually his barrage to her wrists took a toll on her and she was beginning to have issues. Imri called it a day, said she did well, and they went their separate ways. Princess Natalia and General Cecille found him later on (more like they asked for him to show up in the general's office) and asked for a verbal report. He gave them his observations, making sure to bring up the fact that she seemed to block with her arm. The princess seemed happy to know that, at least from Imri's point of view, the session seemed to bring something back to Cass, even if it wasn't a full-blown flashback. Then she requested a written report, which Imri begrudgingly wrote up.

For the next two years Cassia and Imri would meet once a week, and Imri would continue instructing her. It seemed to him a lot of her skills were slowly coming back to her, like she was recalling everything she was taught before she lost her memories. Somehow she became faster, and Imri didn't really think that was possible. Physically she wasn't very strong and she stumbled easily, even when he told her to give it her all, but her precision and agility helped balance out her lack of power and resilience.

He was as laid back as ever every single time, and it always seemed like sparring was something he could do in his sleep. He was never tense but still focused enough on the duel to keep Cass on her toes. He never became angry or annoyed when she messed up a technique, and being with such an accepting mentor was exactly what she needed. Imri became something of a role model to her; his style was so similar to the one from her dream and instead of being surrounded by cold, harsh silver at night; she was enveloped with a soothing, cool gray. There was a large feeling of déjà vu each time they met to practice, and it helped her remember more and more about how she must have fought.

Once a month or so they would hang out around Baticul, and during these times Imri would teacher how to talk like most people did and get her to observe people and see how they spoke to one another. She took it as seriously as everything else and ended up eavesdropping on people, listening for changes in tone inflection. It took a while for her to recognize obvious uses of sarcasm, but listening in on other people's conversations helped her answer things like, "What's up?" with something that actually made sense and had nothing to do with ceilings.

Those days she spent with him observing pairs of people talk with each other led her to recognize that teasing tone he often took with her was him flirting (or courting, as she initially said). She had asked if that was what he was doing, courting her, and he laughed it off and said that's how he talked to pretty much anyone. And he wasn't joking about that. Whenever Cass would get ready to leave for the night, Imri would go up and talk to some girl, talk with her in that same teasing manner he used on her. It didn't bother her; she just wished he wouldn't use it on her. She told him so, but he didn't stop so she just decided to deal with it. It was just who he was.

Cass somehow got a promotion as well. How, she had no clue, but her and Amber, another girl that worked at the castle, were no longer just common maids. Natalia named the pair her personal attendants and most of their time was spent with the princess herself and preparing her for the day in the morning and bed at night. The new title led to Cassia spending more time at Fabre Manor, and that time was usually spent in the company of Guy and Pere. Occasionally her curiosity would get the better of her and she would eavesdrop on Luke's conversations with Natalia—she had been doing that so much with Imri as of late it was sort of like second nature to listen in on people. Usually they would consist of her badgering him to remember certain things they did together in the past, and he never did. She'd leave upset, say something about his proposal, and leave with Cass on her heels. But no matter how often Natalia seemed annoyed at Luke, she always tried to speak to him with that soft kindness she used with almost everyone else.

Any dreams she had were few and far in between. A girl she recognized as a younger self was always present, as well as one to three others that were shaded from view, as if she couldn't recall what they looked like. Every dream she had that evoked a sense of nostalgia she began to write down, hoping that eventually her past would piece itself together. She wasn't necessarily trying to get her past back anymore. She was happy where she was and without memories, though if an opportunity presented itself to get rid of her amnesia she wouldn't just throw it away. If it never did, though, she would be fine. Cass had friends, and the sort of repetitious schedule she made for herself fit her well.

Then, the last two years of monotony ended.


	5. Disappearing

**Disclaimer: **Tales of the Abyss and all characters therein do not belong to me. That honor goes to Namco Bandai. This story is for fun only, and I do not profit from it.

* * *

**Nederim**

Chapter 5 / Disappearing

_"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." – Margaret Mead_

* * *

Remday, Rem-Decan 23, ND 2018.

The beginning of the year was definitely one of the most stressful times to be a maid in the home of the Kimlascan Royal Family. They'd get a break for an hour during the day, something Cassia Brightwing and the other maids were immensely grateful for, but it passed too quickly and didn't really help them out when they were working from sunrise to sunset. It was possibly even worse for Amber and Cass, Princess Natalia's attendants. Not only did both of them have to do their duties as maids around the castle, but they also had to get Natalia prepared for whatever she was doing for the day. For someone that was so thoughtful for the people that lived in her country, it seemed like she forgot that the two older women had other things they had to do. Like sleep and eat. Particularly during this time of the year.

Natalia would be turning nineteen in ten days, and let's just say that everyone in the palace was panicking. There was really no other way to put it. Maids were running around like chicken with their heads cut off, triple checking to make sure they had everything they needed. It gave Cassia a headache since they would always run to her to make sure that everything was going as smoothly as it should be.

How the twenty-something year old even managed to become a huge part of the celebration committee was a complete mystery that left her flummoxed. There were so many other people that had spent years with the princess, while Cassia had only known her for three. She thought of Natalia like a younger sister, that was true, but she just thought that someone had to know more about her than Cass did.

The blonde later found out, in the middle of the panic, that someone else in Baticul did in fact know more about the princess than she did: His Highness. Before she had ended up in the Capital of Light, Cass must have learned how to interact with those of a higher class than she was, as Natalia often noted how her 'decorum was astounding for someone that did not have a high social standing.' Still, the hit on the head she received three years ago did not hinder her ability to act with grace and propriety, which helped immensely with dealing with His Highness. He had insisted on collaborating, and Cassia was simply there to fulfil her duties: make sure that Natalia's celebration went better than perfect.

Most of the preparations were already finished, thankfully. The next few days would be slow now that all the supplies were bought and organized. The three days before her birthday, however, those would tedious.

Cassia doubted she'd get any sleep, but she didn't mind because it was for Natalia.

Today would be simple enough at the least. Cass would head over to Duke Fabre's manor around noon and talk with Susanne about how she'd want everything set up. Lady Fabre had insisted that Natalia's party was held at the manor so Luke would be able to be there, and Cassia was fine with that. She enjoyed spending time here. It was always fun to spend time talking with Guy and Luke, although she could really only handle the latter in short bursts.

Remdays were the worst day to go to the manor, though, but Cassia would manage like she always did: by avoiding Luke when possible. The redhead was always antsy because Van wouldn't be coming around for another day and he would be trying to finish the homework he procrastinated, but at least that meant he wouldn't be complaining about the party today.

"You're so patient, Cassia," Lady Fabre said after the pair discussed the finishing touches of the decorations. "Princess Natalia is lucky to have such a great friend. Her birthday will definitely be one to remember."

"She has done a lot for me, Lady Fabre," she replied quietly. "I just… want to do whatever I can to repay her."

She nodded knowingly. "If only she found you sooner. Perhaps Natalia and Luke would have grown up to be a little quieter. Oh! Would you be able to fetch Luke? His father wanted to speak with him once he woke up."

"Of course," Cassia bowed politely and, with a nod from Susanne, she left to find Luke.

Cass headed out of this section of the manor to the lone building where Luke's room was. She observed the grounds of the manor, looking over the new flowers that Pere was planting for the big event. It was mostly just purple sopherias—Natalia's favorite—with a few other types of flora thrown in to mix it up. It was as beautiful as always, and Cassia made sure to let Pere know when she passed by him before hopping up the stairs to Luke's room. She knocked loudly. "Luke? It's Cassia. May I come in?"

There was some shuffling around before he said, "Cass? Yeah, it's open."

She opened the door and took a cursory look around. Papers were strewn across his desk and put into haphazard piles in an attempt to be organized. She was right when he would be trying to finish up his homework today. There was a nice breeze from the open window, and Guy sat on the ledge.

"Hello, Guy," Cassia greeted with a small nod. "How are you today?"

"Good," he replied with a smile. "I was just checking if Luke wanted some sword practice."

"I see," she said, walking over to his desk and ignoring his privacy. She skimmed his homework. Geography. "Do you need help with your homework too, Luke?"

He scoffed. "No, why would I? And Master Van's here, so I can't today, Guy."

"Van?" he asked. "But today's not a training day, is it?"

Luke shrugged. "Apparently, something came up."

"Oh, that's right," Cassia started, putting his assignments back on his messy desk. "Your mother said His Grace wanted to speak to you. He's in the drawing room at the moment."

"All right," the noble waved the maid off. "Dismissed."

She shot him a look of disdain, before quickly wiping it off her face. Without a word, Cass turned on her heel and left Luke's room, shutting the door softly behind her. Making her way towards the drawing room, she muttered a few choice words under her breath no one would understand if they heard her. The Duke and Duchess were sitting at the long table, as they said they would, but joining them was Commandant Grants. She spoke quietly, bowing her head in respect to the three, and let them know what Luke said. Dismissed once more, albeit in a much more polite manner, she left the drawing room and stepped back outside into the courtyard. Guy was there talking to Pere, and Cassia sat down on a bench so she wouldn't interrupt their conversation. She didn't feel much like speaking at the moment, anyway. She'd rather sit in the quiet, listen to the little bit of nature that could be heard in the city.

After the meetings with royalty, dozens of workers coming up to her and asking for assistance with something, she was getting a headache. Some peace and quiet was really all she wanted at the moment.

Van stepped out after a few minutes and the blonde greeted the Commandant politely. He was a nice enough guy, she figured, but the two of them had never really talked much—the most Cassia had interacted with him was when Luke was too sick to spar with him. Imri was out and she had asked for a quick match. She didn't really know the age difference between them, but it couldn't be much. Despite that, the amount of combat experience Van had was amazing. She knew well enough that she didn't have much physical strength—her forte lied with her agility, but even with his Oracle Knight uniform he matched her speed (and he was likely going easy on her, too!). He was an easy person to look up to as well, even though Cass was never really comfortable talking to him like she was with Imri.

Guy talked to Van for a minute before Luke stepped out with a huge smile on his face. Guy sat down on the farthest end of the bench, putting as much distance between him and the girl as possible, and the two servants watched the pair get ready to practice. Cass asked him conversationally about any news coming out of Sheridan, to which he went on to talk about some new type of fon machine that was being based on old Dawn Age technology. His gusto put a small smile on her face, feeling like it was familiar but she couldn't place exactly why his enthusiasm was so nostalgic.

Truthfully, Cassia found fon machinery slightly unnerving. She didn't know why—the science of it was interesting and she learned so much from Guy about it. There was just something about it that didn't sit well with her, and not being able to place what made her so uncomfortable around a lot of machinery bothered her.

A sudden clash of wood striking wood brought the two out of their conversation. Eyes drawn to the new field of battle, the pair watched as Luke continued to swing futilely at Van, putting in as much effort and power as he could muster. Van stayed on the defensive, a pleasant smile gracing his features as if he weren't fighting. They went on for a few minutes, before something happened. A woman's voice began to sing in a language that Cass had never heard before. It seemed vaguely familiar, but the sounds didn't string together in a way to form a complete word. This was something completely different, and the affect it had on the people in the manor's courtyard was disturbing.

Maids began to slump to the ground, with the guards following quickly in suit. Cass's eyelids began to droop, so she got off the bench as quickly as possible. Moving around should help her stay awake, even if she couldn't do anything.

A pair of small throwing knives landed in a target dummy, just barely missing Van.

Cassia looked up in time to see a young woman jump down from one of the lower rooftops of the manor. Her long, brown hair fell neatly down her back, barely ruffled as she drew one more blade and began to charge forward.

"I've finally found you, Vandesdelca! Prepare to die!"

Luke broke free from the spell she must have cast, and ran forward to protect his teacher. There was a clash, and then Cass had to shut her eyes and cover her face as a bright light blinded her. A sudden gust of wind nearly knocked her off of her feet, and her ears were ringing and she could hear something that sounded like yelling echoing around, as if it was bouncing off the walls of the manor.

The gust died down and Cass's ears were still ringing, but she tentatively lowered her arms and opened her eyes, blinking rapidly to adjust. Van was there, just where he had been before the intruder showed up. But… where was Luke? "…What in the world was that?" Cassia muttered to herself. She didn't get a reply.

"Get a seventh fonist here, quickly!" Van commanded. "Guy, go inform the Duke and the Lady what happened."

Guy nodded and went into the manor to find Luke's parents. Cassia ran to the castle to let Natalia know what just happened. She found the younger girl quickly: on the archery range just like the schedule she had read earlier had said.

"Natalia!" she gasped, taking a second to catch her breath. Natalia's attention broke, and she hurriedly went over to her attendant's side, knowing that something had to be wrong if she was back from the manor sooner than she needed to be.

"What is it, Cassia?" Natalia asked, scanning her over on instinct to see if she was hurt in any way. "Did something happen?"

Cass nodded, straightened up the moment she was able to. "Fabre manor was attacked."

A hand flew to the princess's mouth in shock. "Is everyone okay?! Was Luke hurt?"

Eyebrows furrowed in frustration, Cass didn't really know how to answer that question. Was he hurt? She didn't know what just happened to him. "I'm… not sure. He vanished with the intruder. Van seemed to be under the impression that it had to do with the Seventh Fonon…"

Natalia pursed her lips in consternation. "It must have been a hyperresonance," she concluded. "Luke could be anywhere…" The pair sat in silence for a few moments, Cassia waiting patiently for the princess to decide what to do. "Do you feel well equipped to search for him, Cassia?"

The question was not expected, and Cassia's eyebrows came closer together as a response. "I suppose. I don't know where he is, though…"

"I imagine the Commandant is locating him as we speak," Natalia said. "Return to Fabre manor. Under my orders, you will be joining the search for Luke as my eyes and ears. I'm unable to leave Baticul on such short notice."

Cassia nodded, bowed deeply to Natalia before quickly making her way back to the manor. The drawing room was unlike she had ever seen it before: it was normally so quiet, empty, only occasionally would any of the Fabre's use it. Now, it seemed like everyone was in a mild state of panic. Susanne was crying, wide-eyed from the shock of Luke disappearing, and the Duke was trying to keep her calm as well as discuss with Van and Guy what was going on. Another person Cass didn't recognize was there; he must have been the seventh fonist that was found. Taking a spot close to Guy (but not _too_ close), Cass waiting for there to be a lull in the conversation to announce the princess's orders.

In the end, Van and the seventh fonist determined where Luke had been spirited away to: Malkuth territory. He, Guy, and Cassia would leave by ferry to Chesedonia. From there, they'd split up to cover as much ground as possible. Guy and Cass would head east, over Rotelro Bridge, while Van would catch another ship to the southern tip of the continent. They were going to leave at sunset. With that meeting adjourned, the attendant headed back to the castle to let Natalia know everything. She helped Cass prepare for the trip, giving her some clothing that would be a lot better to travel in than a Kimlascan maid outfit, as well as two new daggers to replace her old, heavy ones.

"I hope that this will help you," Natalia said, handing over a bundle of neatly folded, purple cloth. Cass tilted her head slightly and frowned. That seemed like something to be said about the weapons sitting off to the side, not clothing. "It is what you were wearing, in Chesedonia. I had it repaired," she clarified.

Taking the folded clothes first and unfolding them to see them completely, Cass couldn't help the small smile that appeared as she took in the material. The clothes were two main parts: a dark purple, sleeveless dress and a shorter, gray one. The dark purple dress went down a little past her knees, and was trimmed in a light purple around the hem. It opened at the waist down the front in order to move around in it easier. The whole design over the dark purple dress looked vaguely ceremonial to her at the time. It was all patched up now; hardly looked like it was close to shreds in the first place, but if she looked close enough she could see that there were still tiny specks of red in the lighter parts of the outfit.

The bottom dress ended mid-thigh, and had long sleeves to make up for the dark purple dress' lack thereof, though they began mid-bicep. At the bottom of the sleeve and the top was a dark border, but a majority of the cloth was gray, flaring out the closer it got to her hands. The footwear was new. It was a pair of dark gray boots that nearly went to her knees before folding back down slightly with an off-white border on the top. They were surprisingly comfortable, for not being broken in.

A flood of déjà vu helped Cassia recognize the daggers as well, though they were clearly in much better shape than they were when Natalia found the blonde in the desert. She was told they were broken, but now they worked again and had been brought back to the shimmering silver gleam they must have once had. They acted as bracers, protecting her wrists and allowing Cass to block with them to avoid getting hurt, and they blades were hidden inside a compartment of the bracer until she activated them. There was a string that acted as a lever, the end formed a loop big enough to fit around her middle finger, so all she would have to do to use them was move her wrist and the blade would jump out.

The set-up of the weapons really helped explain all those bruises she ended up getting on her forearms and wrists in those training sessions. Her wrists were feeling sore just thinking about all the times Imri exploited that habit of hers.

The blades themselves were light and thin. When out, they were about 15 cm long, so she would have to hold her palm perpendicular to her arm to hit anything with them. Both blades had a gray filigree on them, making them even more beautiful.

Cass thanked her for everything and gave her a hug, letting her know that she'd let her know everything that would happen while she was away. The princess didn't pester the older girl too much about keeping her word, and she headed to the port shortly after to meet with Guy and Van.

* * *

**Author's Note: The weapons are inspired by katar daggers (Google 'em; they look pretty awesome), but a bit more technical because I'd think it'd be difficult to do anything if she had to hold them the entire time. Cass's fighting style is inspired by these daggers too.**


	6. Serendipity

**Disclaimer: **Tales of the Abyss and all characters therein do not belong to me. That honor goes to Namco Bandai. This story is for fun only, and I do not profit from it.

* * *

**Nederim**

Chapter 6 / Serendipity

_"But I'm tougher, I am stronger and I'm hard to crack. It's a message, it's my destiny to come back." - Amaranthe_

* * *

At sundown, Guy, Van and Cassia disembarked for the city of Chesedonia. Guy didn't bother telling Natalia that he was leaving, but luckily the princess had her attendant to rely on. The ferry would arrive in the city's port around sunrise, but despite it being so early in the morning, Van was confident that they would be able to find a coach to St. Binah in the trading center. After all, the metropolis was in the middle of the desert—people needed to get whatever they needed done as early as possible before the sun became too overbearing.

At least, that's what Cass figured. Since it was such an important city, she thought that Chesedonia would have some sort of fonic technology to ease the intense heat of the desert, or use fonic artes like she heard controlled the aqueducts in the capital of Malkuth: Grand Chokmah. Despite being found on the outskirts of the desert city, she couldn't recall any memories of living there or even visiting.

But without any solid proof to her home, she still decided to call Chesedonia the place of her birth. It was the closest city, after all, even though nothing about her fit with being able to live easily in the desert. The clothes she had on were odd, looked too heavy and made of the wrong material to live comfortably in Chesedonia. The style would have been considered out of place in Baticul, and it clearly didn't fit any other city in Kimlasca-Lanvaldear. Cass only saw pictures of various towns in Malkuth, from Guy's travelling books, but they still didn't seem to fit in there. She was at a loss, but truthfully it didn't bother her much anymore. She decided she would be fine if she didn't remember.

Cassia stayed with Van and Guy on the deck of the ferry until the sun began to set, asked Van about the song the intruder was singing as it seemed to her that he recognized it. He did, explained that it was a special type of fonic hymn that utilized both the First and Seventh Fonon. That type of arte was definitely special, she decided inwardly. Cass never heard of a fonic arte that used the Seventh Fonon in combination with one of the original six.

The blonde wearied of talking to the two as the moon claimed its spot in the navy sky and eventually made her way below deck and into the small quarters she would be sharing with the two men. Those two were much closer to one another than she was to either of them (even though she considered Guy to be a dear friend), and their conversations were so trite with her around that she decided to leave, let them talk about what they truly desired to. She wasn't much for conversation anyway, could barely carry one with most people to save her life.

Cass did a bit of exploring of the ferry after depositing her things in the room to waste some time, as she wasn't very tired. The ship was small, and most of the doors were locked, so she wasn't able to use up as much time as she wanted. Cass thought about rejoining her companions on the deck, but decided against it, figuring that they were tired of mundane conversations in an attempt to keep her involved. It just became sort of awkward for her, and she would have felt bad about not letting them talk about what they wanted to. Instead, she had a small chat with the captain about their time of arrival—how smooth sailing would be—which eventually led back to the same type of exchange that she loathed so much.

She stayed in her room after that, alone, not knowing where Van and Guy were. Staring blankly at the ceiling while lying on the uncomfortable bed, Cassia preoccupied herself with thoughts of the new journey she was on. If she was still interested in exploring Auldrant to discover her place of birth, this would have been wonderful. Now, though, she was just glad to be out of the city. The clean air always cheered her up.

Her thoughts slowly disappeared as she fell asleep.

_"Cassia, _what _do you think you're _doing?!_"_

_It was cold again, in that way that wasn't soothing, as if she had a fever. No, this was different. Harsher. Like a biting wind in subzero temperatures. The wind might not have been howling, but this voice, familiar in a way, definitely was. _

_"I-I am sorry! It is just so close, I thought no one would mind…"_

_"It doesn't matter if it is tomorrow or a few years, you know this. You aren't supposed to be here yet."_

_A wave of guilt and sorrow rushed over Cass's consciousness, and she felt small, much more than she had ever felt before. The voice was no longer callous and angry, but more exasperated than anything else. Like it was disappointed and thought that Cass could do better. She began to feel that way._

_"Come on. Let's get out of here before she comes back. It would be bad enough if your father caught you. You know how she can be."_

_"Yes… thank you…" the reply sounded as small as she felt._

Cass woke up about thirty minutes before the ferry arrived in Chesedonia. It took her a moment to realize that she wasn't dreaming anymore—or maybe she was remembering something. Sitting up, she looked over at the weapons Natalia just gave to her, recalling that when she saw them yesterday a sense of déjà vu overcame her. The clothes felt the same way, but nothing new came to her; just a short conversation and some feelings, but no faces or anything.

That wasn't helpful. The conversation didn't even seem like it would go with the weapons or clothes—it sounded like she was just in a room she wasn't supposed to be in.

Glancing around, Cassia noticed that Van and Guy were gone. Not unexpected, and she quickly readied herself to wait on deck with them. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon alone with a sliver of land.

"Finally back home, huh, Cass?"

The words caught her off guard, and as she turned to Guy she didn't quite understand what he meant at first. Cassia put her hand on her neck and turned slightly away from the blond. "I don't… consider Chesedonia to be my home," she admitted. "I was found there, yes, but I doubt I ever lived there."

Guy nodded understandingly and turned back towards the approached land. "Her Majesty said that you looked pretty bad when she found you, and that it took you a couple of months to recover. You really don't remember anything about what happened?"

"I remember being in a lot of pain, and a vaguely metallic smell and the sun. Before that…" Cass shook her head, "nothing at all. It doesn't bother me anymore, however… if I remember, then I remember. If I don't, I think I'll be fine."

He let out a breathy sort of chuckle that made Cass a little confused, until she saw that reminiscent expression on his face. "You're a lot like Luke that way." Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but Guy didn't explain. "We won't have a lot of time to explore the city, but if we head back this way let's make sure to see as much of it as we can. Maybe you can get some of your memory back."

Cassia allowed the corners of her mouth to twitch upwards ever so slightly. "Yes, thank you. I would enjoy that."

The ferry arrived in the desert city and they all went their separate ways: Guy and Cass to the Malkuth side of the city—crowded with stand and filled with people trying to sell goods—as Van stay on the Kimlascan side port, waiting for another ferry to take him to Kaitzur.

Hiring a coach took no more than five minutes; Cass let Guy do all the talking and bargaining with the driver of the vehicle. He was paid half up front, and the pair departed from the trade center for St. Binah—a trip that would take the entire day.

Despite Cass's disinclination to everyday conversations, and talking in general, it was always so easy for her to speak with Guy about most things. He had that type of easy-going personality that made it easy for him to choose a conversation that they could both participate in (fonic technology being one of his favorites—she had a thirst for knowledge of science and engineering despite her wariness to the actual products of her fields of interest). Nature and travelling topics came about just as easily as those regarding fontech, and if there was a lull in conversation, it didn't bother either one; it was pleasant while most others became awkward and unbearable (resulting in that type of banter she so loathed). She genuinely enjoyed Guy's company, enjoyed _speaking_ with him, because he was so amiable—a nice change from being around Natalia all the time.

Not that Cassia didn't like being around Natalia—she was wonderful, her savior and dearest friend. Her personality could rub Cass the wrong way from time to time, however, in a way that Guy never did. Not only that, but the differences in status also made it difficult for their relationship to be anything but formal and professional a majority of the time. Since Cassia and Guy were technically the same class, the casual conversations they were allowed to have regardless of location made it much easier for her to speak.

The ground shook suddenly, a little after midday, which interrupted the peaceful silence that fell between Guy and Cass. She gripped at the seat, making sure that she didn't fall. Once the quake passed, she quickly made her way over to the window (affectively forgetting about Guy's phobia, making him back away from the window as quickly as he possibly could). It was some sort of machine, looked like it could have been the size of the Fabre manor, bearing the crest of the Malkuth Empire.

She glanced at Guy, wondered why he seemed more pale than usual, before looking out of the window once more. "What is that?" she asked, her voice filled with a mixture of awe and hesitation. Guy answered her, trying to see outside from around her. When she realized what he was trying to do, she flushed slightly before sitting back down, muttering a quick apology.

"It looks like a Malkuth landship," he replied before sitting back down. "Why's it out here, though?" he raised his voice slightly and turned towards the driver. "I know things between Kimlasca and Malkuth are bad, but are they really anticipating an attack before a declaration of war?"

"It's been getting worse and worse since the end of the Hod War," the driver responded despondently. "We seen 'em occasionally on the plains, out for practice maneuvers. There's been more and more every year, it's worrying and really interferes with business." He sighed and shrugged. "If nothing else, it's good to know that the Empire is preparing for the worst, because I don't think things are going to get better anytime soon."

Cassia didn't know anything about landships, had heard the term once or twice in relation to the Battle of Northern Chesedonia, but had never seen one for herself. Curiosity getting the best of her, she asked Guy what it was used for. The answer didn't thrill her, made her feel more uneasy about fontech than she already did.

The conversation ended on that note.

Unlike the boat trip, the ride to St. Binah didn't seem to take as long. Even though it took up more time, and she was asleep for most of the trip to Chesedonia, being around Guy made the time fly past quickly. Being able to look outside and see the ever changing scenery helped her, calmed her down and made her relax, unlike staring out into the seemingly endless blue of the ocean, feeling uneasy and unwanted around Van and Guy.

They arrived in St. Binah in the middle of the night. The soldiers checked their passports and let them into the city without any hassle. They shared a cheap room at the inn for the night and from then on, the rest of the plan was a complete mystery to Cass.

Guy filled her in over a quick breakfast the next morning. Once they finished up, they'd split up and start asking around if anyone saw Luke. He reminded her to make sure just to describe how he looked and his first name if she needed, _never_ say his full name, as House Fabre was an enemy to Malkuth. That would be easy enough for her to accomplish. Striking up the conversation and asking the question would prove to be more difficult.

She took to the more residential area while he went to the marketplace, and they began their questioning. With his bright red hair and rude personality, Cassia figured that if someone saw him, they would remember. He wasn't someone to just pass through someone's vision and fail to be recalled later, especially if he was talking. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like he even stopped in the city because no one could even recall someone walking around dressed as nicely as he would have been.

They met back up at the inn at sundown, Guy just as unsuccessful as she was. They decided to stay another day and ask around tomorrow since many people they asked said there were a lot of shipments coming from Engeve this time of year, and someone from the farming village may have seen him. By midafternoon the next day, Guy found her, filled her in on what a woman from Engeve told him. She was about to leave for St. Binah when she saw a boy that matched his description causing a ruckus in the marketplace. They left immediately, didn't bother trying to find someone to take them to Engeve and instead went by foot, a journey that would be about a day.

Interestingly enough, when they got into view of the small farming town, they encountered another landship-this one looking even larger than the first one they saw-racing to the west, when suddenly it came to a screeching halt. All the outer lights shut off, and Guy wasted no time forgetting his original destination and headed towards the landship.

Cass jogged after him. "Wait, Guy… shouldn't we keep going to Engeve? Why would Luke be on this?"

"Luke was kidnapped by Malkuth seven years ago. Maybe something like that happened again, or someone heard his full name and reported it to the military. Besides, it's stopped, so there's no harm in checking if Luke's on it."

He had a fair point, she conceded, but that didn't keep Cass from warily side-eying the landship. She did _not_ want to get on that. "It doesn't appear operational anymore… how would you go in and ask for Luke?"

"There are ladders on the side meant for repairs," he told her, gesturing to the ladders that indeed snaked their way up the entire side of the vehicle. "We can go up those and see if one of the doors on the deck is working."

"But… why would a door up there work if the entire ship doesn't seem to be working?"

Putting his hands onto the ladder, he went up a rung or two before turning around to Cass, who looked more frightened than anything about the landship, and shot her a comforting grin. "There's probably an emergency hatch in case something like this happens. The commander of the ship will probably make his way down here if that's the case, so you can stay down on the ground if you want to, Cass. Just holler if you see him or Luke."

She did just that, watched him climb his way up the rest of the ladder with ease before disappearing around a ledge to the next one. "I don't know what the commander would look like…" Cassia sighed to herself and did a lap around the huge landship, trying to see if anyone looked like part of the Malkuth military or Luke. She took care to peek around corners as she went, just in case someone was there. If anything, she did not want to appear threatening to someone that was a part of the military.

On the opposite side of the one Guy climbed up, some soldiers were standing around, talking amongst themselves about how to get in. She looked them over, slightly confused. Their armor was decorated in grays and blacks and golds, not something she would expect of the Malkuth military. There was a serious looking blonde woman among them not dressed something that reminded her of Van Grant's uniform, commanding them to stay wary, as well as a green haired boy that was dressed in white. Cass didn't understand, but she was pretty sure that this group of people was _not_ the ones in charge of the landship. Perhaps they were the reason it stopped moving? If they were part of the Order like the woman appeared to be, was the driver of the carriage wrong? Were the landships actually _not_ doing practice maneuvers and instead were heading over to Kimlasca to declare war? Was the Order interferring like they did in Chesedonia, only this time before anything actually happened?

And where was Luke? Cassia still didn't think the noble would be here, but if this landship was going to officially start a war, and they happened upon Luke, then he would certainly be kept somewhere like this as leverage. The blonde and her soldiers might be assisting Kimlasca at this point, but Cass didn't want to risk going up to them by herself. She knew when she was outnumbered and wouldn't be able to do anything if they thought she was a threat.

Cass stayed out of sight, watching as they continued talking for a couple of minutes (and not appearing to listen to the blonde woman's orders) when the hatch on this side of the ship unlocked with a loud clang. A pathway of stairs unfolded underneath the hatch, and the blonde made one of the soldiers walk up the stairs and open the emergency hatch…

Only for him to be lit on fire, tumble down the walkway, and land with a sickening crunch once the door opened.

Cass almost ran to see if the soldier was still living, but the sound of a gun firing made her turn back to the blonde woman, jumping and dodging some kind of weapon that was thrown. It vanished as soon as it impaled the ground, reappearing with the tip pointed threateningly at her throat, in the hands of a man in a military uniform. The blonde threw her weapons to the ground in surrender, and that's when Cass noticed that Luke was actually on this ship, busy smacking one of the guards with something.

Cassia assessed the situation quickly. The blonde and the soldiers in gray were the enemies. Despite obviously being a part of the Malkuth military, Luke was assisting the soldier in blue. She would need to make sure that all of the opposing forces could not retaliate. But first…

Rushing around the corner of the ship, Cass dashed towards the familiar redhead, scanning the landship for any sign of a certain swordsman. "Guy! Luke's he—"

A burst of lightning flew out from inside of the ship, hitting the blonde in the side before she was able to react. Stumbling to the ground in pain, Cass gripped at the grass, fighting back the tears of pain that sprung to her eyes at the sudden attack. The pain subsided the smallest bit, and she hastily got back to her feet, focused on reaching Luke before something happened to him, only for something to land on her back, crushing her back to the earth with its large, clawed paws digging into her shoulders. She tried to get back up to her hands and knees, anything to try and knock what was on her off, but it was futile. It would dig its claws in deeper, the layers she had on doing close to nothing to protect her.

There was some shouting, a clatter, and finally the massive weight got off of her. Cass lay on the ground for a moment, breathing heavily as she listened to the sound of the staircase being folded back up. Someone sat down beside her, and she could feel a light warmth on her shoulder. A kind of relief washed through her body as all the pain from the bolt of electricity and the claws that tore into her arm disappeared.

She turned over quickly now that the pain was gone, trying to find Luke among the group of people standing near where the staircase used to be. Standing up and making her way to the group of people, Cass moved her armed tentatively, gently, making sure that it was all right to move. She must have missed most of the conversation.

"…heard soldiers say that they couldn't find the body, so I'm hoping she's all right…" said the green-haired boy.

"Then let's head for St. Binah. That's our meeting point with Anise." That was the man in blue.

Without another word, Luke, Guy, the intruder of the manor, and the two other unknown people began to head away from the landship at a quick pace. Cass narrowed her eyes slightly but didn't say anything, only followed after, staying closer to Guy and Luke.

* * *

**Edit 10.9: Thanks RubyMoonz for catching some inconsistencies! It should all be good now. **


	7. Out in the Fields

**Disclaimer: **Tales of the Abyss and all characters therein do not belong to me. That honor goes to Namco Bandai. This story is for fun only, and I do not profit from it.

* * *

**Nederim**

Chapter 07 / Out in the Fields

_"__All men are equal till the victory is won. No colour or religion ever stopped the bullet from a gun." – Primal Fear_

* * *

Cassia thought it was weird how Guy joined up with Luke without openly wondering who the other three people were (or that blue thing. What in the world was that?) He was able to speak to people he didn't know with such ease, and she would have thought he'd exhibit more caution than he was, especially since the intruder was amongst his new travelling companions. Was he truly that trusting, even in times after being attacked? And how had he reached the ground so quickly, anyway?

She shook her head, didn't bother questioning it, but made sure to stay on her guard around the man in blue and the woman. The green-haired boy didn't seem like too much of a threat, especially since he was already so tired despite the short distance they ran. She stayed firmly in between those two and Luke, trying to form a sort of line of defense just in case. They did help Luke out, so they _were_ the lesser of two evils, and Cass knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she did not want to meet up with the gray-clad soldiers any time soon. The people she was with didn't seem bad at the moment.

Once the Tartarus was out of sight, they decided to slow down their pace to a fast walk. The green-haired boy was breathing heavily, as was Luke, but everyone else seemed fine for the moment. Guy struck up a conversation about Luke's adventure, but the three others that Cass did not know just kind of ignored it. It stayed that way until the boy collapsed about an hour after leaving the Tartarus beyond the horizon.

The girl was the first to rush to his aid, the older man was the first to talk.

"Ion, you used Daathic fonic artes aboard the Tartarus, didn't you?" His tone was vaguely accusing, with a hint of concern, but mostly remained apathetic. Cass decided she didn't like it, despite the green-haired boy—Ion—giving him a pained smile as a reply.

"That thing you did back at the cheagles' place?" Luke asked.

Ion apologized, "My body just isn't built to use Daathic fonic artes… A fair bit of time has passed, so I thought I'd recovered, but…" A Daathic fonic arte? Cass's eyes narrowed the slightest bit. She had never heard of that kind of fonic arte.

The man in blue suggested they rest for a while, so the six of them made their way off of the road, Cass and the soldier taking care to hide their tracks into the brush a few minutes away. He made quick use of fonic artes and she was jealous, having never been able to use them. She hid their tracks the old fashion way. Jogging a way back up the path, before the soldier wiped the road clean, she found their footprints and repeatedly walked across the path in different directions, made it a confusing mess of footprints that would be difficult to decipher.

She ran back to the group as fast as she could, staying on the grass, only to see the man in blue just now making his way back. The other girl was speaking with Ion, making sure that he would be okay. Ion assured the girl—Tear, he said—that he just needed a moment and then he would be fine.

"Hey, Luke," Guy started once everyone was seated, "how'd you end up on the Tartarus with the Fon Master?"

Cass tilted her head slightly, questioningly, at the title. She heard it a few times in passing, but didn't exactly know _who_ the Fon Master was. He was the leader of the Order of Lorelei, but was it Ion, or the unnamed man? She thought it over for a moment, decided that it was Ion based on his garb (the symbol of the Order was on his necklace) and the fonic artes he was able to use.

"Luke is going to help prevent a war from breaking out between Kimlasca and Malkuth. I was brought along as a neutral emissary from Daath. Jade is a representative for His Imperial Majesty, Peony the Ninth," Ion answered kindly. "He helped me escape from Daath when Grand Maestro Mohs refused to allow me to leave."

"So you're an emissary on a mission to prevent war," Guy summarized, sounding thoughtful and curious. "But why would Mohs want to start a war anyway?"

"I'm afraid that's confidential to the Order," Luke scoffed at Ion's reply. "I can't talk about it."

"Whatever his reasons," Jade began, "this war must be avoided. We won't let Mohs interfere."

Cassia nodded to herself, taking in the conversation. It was a little shocking that something as simple as finding Luke and bringing him home was turning into something as big as preventing a war, but she was happy to help. She didn't like conflict, which is why she typically held her tongue whenever Luke was being abrasive, and a war would likely destroy part of the planet that she so dearly loved. It would scar the earth, kill soldiers and innocent people caught in the cross-fire, as well as the homes of humans and animals alike. It wouldn't do, she didn't want that to happen, so she would make sure to speak with Natalia once they arrived back in Baticul.

The blonde knew that the princess didn't have the best opinion about Malkuth, but all Cass had seen from the few days she had been here hadn't been bad. On the contrary, despite the fact that she knew it as the empire that erased Luke's memories, the people here had been nothing but pleasant and helpful. The people of St. Binah were just like the Kimlascans in Baticul. Maybe, if Luke stayed along to help, he and Cass would be able to change the princess's opinion on the other country. After all, even though Ion wasn't a part of the Malkuth Empire, Tear and Jade seemed like decent enough people.

Guy shook his head before turning to his friend, "You sure have gotten yourself wrapped up in a mess here, Luke…" He said pleasantly with a sort of teasing grin, and Cassia couldn't help the twitch of the corners of her mouth.

"By the way, who are you two?" Ion asked.

Guy stood up, and Cass followed in suit. "Oh, right. I haven't introduced myself, have I? I'm Guy, a servant in Duke Fabre's manor."

Cass bowed slightly. "I'm Cass, an attendant for Princess Natalia," she said.

"Is that what she's calling you these days?" she heard Luke scoff. The blonde shot a heated glare at the back of his head before putting on a pleasant expression and shaking hands with Tear ("Locrian Sergeant Tear Grants, 1st Platoon, Oracle Knights Intelligence Division") and Ion ("Fon Master of the Order of Lorelei") in turn as they introduced themselves. She took a moment to look at everyone more carefully, since she never had an opportunity to thoroughly look them over.

Tear was very short compared to Cass, but she was probably only a little bit shorter than the average height of a woman. Her hair was long and a dull, mousy brown-gray color that was just a bit longer than Cass's messy, jasmine colored hair. Despite her youthful appearance (looking to be a few years younger than what Cass thought her age was), her bright blue eyes displayed a hidden sort of wisdom, and she was much more mature than Cass expected. Polite and friendly as well, contrasting to what she would have expected from the person that tried to kill Van Grants, her brother.

Fon Master Ion was an image of serenity, befitting of his position among the Order of Lorelei. His robe was white and trimmed with light green, which went perfectly with his forest green eyes and hair. He carried with him a staff that resembled the symbol of the Order, as well as a necklace with the same golden symbol. The staff and necklace were the only embellishments he had, and she didn't know if it was because he was simply travelling lightly, or didn't care for extravagance. Judging by his wide grin and calm demeanor, she figured it was the latter.

Her introduction with Jade was interrupted momentarily by Guy's shriek of horror. She ignored it, completely used to this happening whenever Natalia went to the manor, and Colonel Jade Curtiss, commander of the Third Division, Malkuth Imperial Forces didn't seem bothered by it. Didn't spare it much more than a glance as he shook her hand.

Jade was a good bit taller than Cassia was, which was something she wasn't exactly used to. She was taller than Luke, barely shorter than Guy, and she thought he was of average height. His light brown hair was long, going a bit past his shoulders and would have covered one of his bright red eyes if it was mussed even the littlest bit. Those eyes, though. Despite being partially concealed by a pair of simple glasses, there was something about them that unnerved her. Cass didn't think it was the color, unique as it was, but she couldn't quiet determine _why_ they were odd to her in the amount of time that would have been suitable for a simple handshake.

Relinquishing her grip on his gloved hand, Cassia turned towards the commotion. Tear's arm was outstretched, waiting for a handshake, with a look of utter confusion on her face. Guy was a few steps back, arms raised slightly in defense despite the fact that Tear obviously wasn't going to hurt him. She took a step forward, trying again, but Guy, being Guy, was having none of that. She gave up eventually, much to Guy's evident relief.

Once Guy calmed down, Jade decided to continue a normal conversation and asked if the pair came looking for Luke.

"Yes, under orders from Duke Fabre. We knew he'd disappeared into Malkuth territory. Cass and I went by land from Chesedonia, while Dorian General Grants crossed the sea and started searching from Kaitzur."

"Master Van's looking for me too?!" Luke sounded too happy about that, in Cass's opinion. Tear's response to the news wasn't quite filled with as much joy. The fact that the two were at odds seemed strange to her. She would have thought siblings were supposed to be best friends, confidants, an ear to listen. Apparently that wasn't the case for every family.

Some soldiers showed up, and since almost everyone got into a battle-ready position, Cassia did as well, putting her fists up in a defensive stance, ready to activate her hidden blades in a second—the entire situation gave her a sense of déjà vu, but she couldn't keep her fists from shaking with anxiety and her palms from becoming sweaty. She gave a silent thanks to Natalia for fixing up the daggers she had with her instead of lending her something she needed to hold before focusing on the armed soldiers. Would this end the same way as what happened on the Tartarus? A complete slaughter? She didn't want to kill anyone, but somewhere in the back of her mind, Cass knew that she would be able to with ease if she needed to. _That_ realization frightened her.

She spent the fight dodging and countering the strikes of the blade, her bracers taking the hits better than she could have ever imagined. She kept the blades retracted, though. Three of the four soldiers kept the other three busy, but one of them managed to leave the battlefield and try and go after Luke. He was able to defend himself long enough for the others to finish off the remaining soldiers, but once the last one was knocked to the ground, and it was time for Luke to deal the final blow… he froze.

Cass wasn't able to help, could barely spare a panicked glance at the noble before one of the Oracle Knights swung his blade at her once more, and she hardly had time to react to that. A flash of yellow running in Luke's direction eased her mind as she dodged again before delivering a swift kick into the soldier's chest. A spear impaled the Oracle Knight as he stumbled back, and Cass didn't even check to see if he was dead before turning around, sprinting towards Luke.

The redhead was on the ground, eyes wide in fear, but after a quick once-over, Cass decided that he was physically unharmed. The soldier that went after Luke was on the ground, unmoving and dead, but Tear was laying there with him. Shooting a quick glance at Guy—decided that both men nearby weren't able to help her at the moment—Cassia swiftly dropped to her knees and looked the young woman over.

Her arm was bleeding heavily, but Tear was awake, gloved hand over her wound as she sent a steady stream of Seventh Fonons into her injury to fix the damage. Cass asked her if she was all right, if she needed a bandage, water, anything, but Tear shook her head, said that she would be fine.

At Jade's suggestion, the party decided that it would be best to set up camp for the night instead of hurrying to St. Binah, in order to give Tear time to recover.

Everything was set up fairly quickly. They had moved a little ways away from the battle with the soldiers, deeper into the trees so if there were any more wandering around they wouldn't see them and the glow for the fire would be well hidden by the foliage. Tear leaned against a tree stump, occasionally muttering something and her cut would glow a soft green. Guy said that he would take the first watch, and after that was Jade. Truth be told, however, Cassia didn't think she would get all that much sleep tonight. Despite the calmness of the air and how serene everything seemed now, breathing seemed to be more taxing than it was before.

She didn't know exactly why, but it seemed sort of like the blood of the fallen made the air heavy, nearly unbearable to breathe. Cass could recall feeling this way sometimes when she was recovering in the infirmary in Baticul, and she was hardly able to sleep for more than an hour at a time. It wasn't as bad as it was three years ago, but she felt weighed down, sluggish. Surely it wasn't the death of the soldiers—the specks of blood that covered her when Jade impaled the one she was fighting didn't bother her in the slightest. She'd seen things die before—nothing more than animals and insects, yes—but she would have thought seeing people die would do something to her, considering the fact that it felt like fighting was something she had done before. Trigger a memory, maybe. So far, though, nothing. It was slightly upsetting.

Almost immediately she caught herself and shook her head roughly. People had just died and she was the most upset about how it didn't benefit _her?_ That couldn't be something people normally thought. Luke clearly didn't think that way, and Natalia wouldn't either. So why was she? She already took their lives from them in exchange of her own (she didn't kill any of them herself, sure, but her hands were stained nonetheless), and now Cass wanted _more_ from them? That was horrible; she shouldn't be thinking like that.

"Cass?" Luke nearly whispered, making her jump slightly. He sidled up to her so they were both leaning against the tree. He was still uncharacteristically quiet from the fight earlier.

"How are you feeling, Luke?" she asked, voice equally as quiet. She glanced at him, but didn't bother maintaining eye contact, stared into the fire instead. She wondered why he was talking to her and not to Guy. They were so close and she didn't think Luke liked her much. Tolerated her, yes, but he was usually so terse to her—treated her like everyone except his parents and Guy and Van.

"You don't remember anything about killing anyone do you?" he asked. Cass shook her head. "It doesn't bother you at all? Killing all these people who have families and lives and don't want to die?"

Once more she shook her head. "It does," she replied slowly. And she was truthful, but not in the way Luke wanted her to be. He was clearly distraught from everything and Cass refrained from clarifying. "But this is what the world is like." Luke made a confused sound and she turned to look at him. His expression almost matched the noise he made, though it looked a bit more distraught. His frown wasn't quite so bored or angry as it typically was.

"It seems to me that, in order to survive one needs to be a thief," Cass continued. "A wolf kills a rabbit so it can live another day. As everything is now, we need to steal the lives of others in order to keep our own from being stolen. The world is quite good at making everything self-centered." Almost absently she added, "It didn't appear that this was an issue when the chefs in the manor prepared your meals. Is it because what you eat isn't the same species as you?"

"That's not it at all!" Luke's tone rose. He sounded almost vehement. "I wouldn't kill a harmless rabbit, and it's not my fault if the chefs decide to cook one for dinner. They don't even look like animals afterwards. With people…" he trailed off, but Cass managed to finish his train of thought.

"Focus on their helmets… not their faces of shapes," she suggested after a moment of silence. "Perhaps imagining them as faceless shapes, monsters, will help you… defend yourself."

Luke didn't reply. He simply nodded once and got up without a word, looking rather solemn. Cass stared after him for a minute before returning her gaze to the crackling fire. He was too kind for his own good, and it was a shame he tried to cover that with a harsh and rude persona.

The blonde leaned back against the tree trunk and let out a quiet sigh. What those Oracle Knights were doing was wrong. They were trying their hardest to make sure that a war did break out, and Cass did not understand one bit. _Why_ would _anyone_ want hundreds—thousands—to die, both soldiers and innocent people? There was enough needless bloodshed everyday caused by bandits, murderers, and what have you. Why were they fighting so hard to paint the earth red?

"Mieeeeuu, are you all right, Tear?" came a high pitched voice, interrupting Cass's thoughts and making her jump slightly. Gray eyes darting to the source of the weird sound, she saw a blue, furry looking thing peak its head out of Luke's item bag. It had long ears, tipped with white fur, and its head looked much too big for its body. It must have been a child.

"What… is that?" Cass asked, never seeing anything like it before.

Tear smiled softly and reached out her uninjured arm, the small thing hopped on over to her outreached hand. "Yes, don't worry about me. This is Mieu," she explained. "He's a cheagle."

"Oh, I see…" she trailed off, putting aside the fact that she didn't know what a cheagle was supposed to be, and keeping her eyes on the small animal. Cass had a strong connection with animals, kept care of the stray cats that wandered Baticul's upper tier and felt like she understood them well enough. However, she knew that they didn't just up and start conversations with people. "Why is he talking?"

"The stupid thing never shuts up," Luke complained. "That ring he carries around lets him talk, though he should _know_ by now that he shouldn't be talking." The redhead gave the blue furball a look that said shut up, no one likes you.

The blue creature's ears drooped. "Mieeuuu…"

Cassia sent a terse glare at Luke, but it was ineffective since he was staring off into space. Instead, she turned her attention away from their heir apparent and gave Mieu a small smile, reaching out to get him to come over. He bounded over to her and came to a halt in her lap. She gingerly set her hand on his large head, pet his long ears tentatively.

"You smell familiar," she could barely hear Mieu mumble against her stomach.

Cass stilled her hand. "How do you mean?" she asked quietly.

"Well… kind of familiar," he clarified, sounding rather sleepy. "It almost smells like home."

She had been spending a lot of time outside, but she didn't know what kind of places cheagles lived in. Was it a wooded area, or maybe out in the plains? His fur color even suggested someplace closer to the water. "Where is home, Mieu?" she questioned. After a moment, she realized she wasn't going to get a response from the cheagle: he was fast asleep in her lap.

Not wanting to wake the little thing up, Cass just rested her head against the bark of the tree, tried to will herself to fall asleep and rest while she could. She could ask Mieu what he meant later—hopefully cheagles had better sleeping habits than cats did.

The next morning they packed up before the sun was fully risen. Sometime in the middle of the night, when sleep managed to find Cassia and lull her into a restful darkness, the cheagle got out of her lap and made his way back into the item bag. She didn't see him at all, but decided that she was patient enough to wait until Mieu made his way back out in the open. Tear seemed to be fully cured of her injury, and the six started for the city of St. Binah. Luke declared that he was ready to protect himself, and stood by his decision when Tear tried to break his resolve. Cass figured that it was good to make sure that he wouldn't freeze again in battle, but Tear's methods were a little harsh in her opinion.

The blonde took Luke's words to heart as well. Even though she didn't do much yesterday aside from serve as a minor distraction, she would steel herself to the idea of ending another person's life. Cass had weapons, she knew how to use them, and she needed to stay alive. While she didn't necessarily want to stain her hands with blood, it was something that had to be done to continue on and help put an end to the talks of a war between Kimlasca and Malkuth.

By the time the sun was halfway across the sky they arrived back at St. Binah. Or, at least, they would have were it not for a pair of Oracle Knights, garbed in their typical gray regalia, guarding the only entrance into the city. They were likely only there because they knew St. Binah was the closest town to where Guy and Cass found everyone on the Tartarus: it was the most likely stop. The group camped outside of the gates for a couple of minutes, but in that small amount of time it didn't seem like they were any closer to getting into the city. The soldiers would be there for a long time.

"Is it possible that… Anise went to a different location? It doesn't look like we'll be finding a way to get into the city…" Cass said softly, looking back up the beaten path that led into the gates. Nothing was coming down it.

"If Anise is still alive, she was supposed to meet us at the military base here," Jade replied. Unlike the blonde, he stayed focused on the pair of soldiers. Likely deciding if causing a scene and forcibly removing them would be a considerable course of action. "Stopping by would be in our best interests."

The blonde nodded, silently got to her feet and walked away from the others, checking the perimeter over once more, trying to find another way in. Scaling the wall wouldn't be an option; the barrier around the city made quite the impressive defense. Not only that, but climbing over would be incredibly conspicuous. With that in mind, Cass focused her attention lower to the ground, trying to find a hole in the wall or something to squeeze through. It wasn't long until she found something that might be useful.

There was a small section of the wall that had cracked slightly; bits and pieces of the stone that made the fortress had fallen into the grass. The broken off pieces were rather weak, crumbling easily when hit hard enough against the wall, but the broken portion of the wall wouldn't budge when she tried to break it a little more. Making a hole big enough to go through wouldn't be possible. Luckily there was some cobblestone piled up to repair the broken area, as well as a regular hammer and something that resembled cement.

Testing its weight and its durability, Cassia decided that throwing a rock at one of the guards would be good, but it would only take one of them out; the other would probably stay at his post. It was worth a try, though. Cass just didn't have a good enough throwing arm for the task. Tear utilized throwing knives, maybe she had the strength and precision to knock one of them out?

She picked up two of the larger stones and brought them back to the other five, glad to discover that they hadn't managed to get inside and leave her alone. "Do you think these will work?" she asked once she was within hearing range, lifting up the slabs of stone so they could see. "I don't have the best throwing arm," she admitted, "but, Tear, you could knock them unconscious, yes?"

Tear nodded. "I can only throw one, though, then the other guard will be able to find out where we are from the direction the rock came from."

"I can get the other one," Luke proclaimed loudly, snatching one of the rocks Cass held. "I got the left one."

Tear gave him a look before taking the other rock from Cass. Tear counted down, making sure that they would both throw at the same time. It was synced perfectly, and Luke could actually throw a lot better than Cass thought he would be able to. While Tear's rock soared strongly through the air, hitting the right guard's armored head with a resounding _whack!,_ Luke made the left guard stumble backward with the strength he put into the throw, shattering the stone against the guard's helmet. Luke's target hit the ground almost immediately, and Tear's wobbled around but he obviously couldn't stay standing for long. When the second guard hit the floor, the group ran into the safety of the city.

"Luke, I'm rather surprised that you were able to throw that well," Cass told the redhead once they were safely in the middle of the crowds. He gave her a smug look at the compliment.

"He used to throw rocks at the White Knights around the manor to try and get out," Guy explained, earning a glare from the noble. The blond laughed lightly at the expression, but obeyed the wordless command.

"What a convenient skill for a young noble to pick up," Jade said with a smile. "It would have been horrible if the Oracle Knights discovered you and took you back to Daath if you couldn't throw. The chances of war breaking out would have become much higher." Luke glared at the colonel, opened his mouth to retort, but Jade interrupted cheerily. "Now, let's go to the Malkuth base here and find out Anise's fate, shall we?"

He didn't wait for a reply before he walked off ahead to a large building whose entrance was flanked by two guards in blue. Cass stared at his uniformed back in confusion before following after the older man. How could he sound so happy about that subject matter? The Malkuth soldiers stepped aside, and Jade waved them in to follow in after. The inside was rather ornate, not really something the blonde was expecting in a military base. Sounds of an argument could be heard from behind the closest closed door, but Cass couldn't make out the words.

Jade looked over at the door, his faint grin never fading. "The soldier outside told us to wait, but judging by the topic in the meeting room, our interruption would solve the argument." The colonel didn't bother waiting for anyone else's opinion on the matter of barging in before he knocked loudly on the door, just walked on in without waiting for a reply. That was something Cass would have expected from Luke, not a military commander.

The two men inside didn't seem bothered at all by his interruption. In fact, the older of the two, whom Jade referred to as Field Marshal McGovern, appeared pleasantly surprised to see the colonel while the younger, Glenn, greeted Jade politely and remained relatively silent as the two older men spoke pleasantries for a few minutes. Once the pointless, idle banter ceased, Jade asked if either of the two had gotten a letter from a Fon Master Guardian. That must have been Anise. Cass spared a glance at Ion. He must have a lot of faith in her if she was the only one accompanying him.

"Ah, that…" the younger said. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we opened it to confirm its contents, for security reasons."

"That's fine, Glenn," the colonel assured him. "There shouldn't be anything in there that would be a problem for you to see."

Glenn nodded, went over to the table before shuffling through the papers scattered on it. Quickly, he located the letter and handed it to Jade. He scanned it, a small smirk forming on his face, before handing it to Luke, saying half of it was written for him.

Cass looked over the redhead's shoulder, wondering why Anise would write to Luke in the first place (only to see frivolous looking handwriting with hearts drawn between words). Deciding it wouldn't be right to actually read the letter, she stepped away, let Luke read in peace, and listened as Jade revealed some of its contents.

"It appears that Anise went on ahead to the next location," Jade said as Luke slowly read his half of the letter, expression slowly becoming an odd mixture of looking sick and embarrassed. "We should be on our way after we gather a few supplies."

Guy tried to stifle a laugh at something Luke muttered. After a quick look, Cass focused once more on the colonel. "What's the 'next location?" she asked.

"Kaitzur," he responded. "It's a city to the southwest of here, on the other side of the Fubras River."

Cass nodded. That was good, that they were heading south. The likelihood that they would be able to meet up with Van Grants was good, especially since he was the one with the passports (this realization made her wonder why she and Guy also weren't given temporary passports; it would certainly make the journey easier if they reached Kimlascan territory before they found the commandant).

"If we make it to Kaitzur, we can catch up with Van," Guy brought up, voicing Cass's thoughts.

Jade excused the group from the meeting, and with that, they filed out of the military base to slowly make their way to the port city.


	8. Surrounded

**Disclaimer: **Tales of the Abyss and all characters therein do not belong to me. That honor goes to Namco Bandai. This story is for fun only, and I do not profit from it.

* * *

**Nederim**

Chapter 08 / Surrounded

_"With the light the memories all rush into his head." – Dream Theater_

* * *

Getting out of the city wouldn't have been an issue. It _shouldn't_ have been an issue. The knights flanking the entrance to the citadel (who appeared to have been replaced after Luke and Tear knocked out the other two) most likely wouldn't have through twice about the people leaving—after all, they were on the lookout for a group seeking refuge. The real problem was that five people allied with the Oracle Knights were interrogating the guards on watch.

The moment Jade caught sight of the group, he ducked off to the side, telling the others to do the same. From the vantage point, Cass was able to recognize one of the people. There was the strict, blonde woman from the Tartarus.

Joining her was a young, pink-haired girl with a cat-like monster at her heels, sitting calmly. The girl herself did not look too threatening; she had a look of sadness on her face, but the monster that was with her was another story entirely. It looked calm now, but once Cassia looked at its claws, she figured that was what tackled her to the ground outside of the Tartarus.

A little farther away was a boy that was dressed in a similar uniform to the blonde woman, except that instead of the clothing being highlighted with white, it had green to be the burst of color. He wore a golden, beak shaped masked over his face.

The next unknown character was large, intimidating not only in size, but with the scythe he carried on his back. His outfit kept with the same theme as the other three, being mostly black, but surprisingly, his added color did not match his hair like the girl in pink and the boy in green. While the giant's hair was spiked back and an icy blue, he chose the color red to outline his uniform. There was a mane of spike adorning his collar, and Cass didn't really want to know if those were as sharp as they appeared.

The last one was sitting off in the distance, and she didn't even notice him until he began to cackle in their conversation. He glided into the group of people on a floating… arm chair. The members of his group seemed to shoot him dubious looks, as if they weren't sure _why_ he was with them, or why he was talking. His flower petal collar was rather eccentric; perhaps that was why they didn't seem to take him seriously.

The giant ordered the Oracle Knights to move out, including the lower class soldiers, and the group of five followed the troops away from St. Binah (the one in the chair staying behind for a moment and looking extremely frustrated).

"This is the first time I've seen the Six God-Generals," Guy said, slowly getting out of the hiding spot. Cass followed after, still taking care to stay in an inconspicuous location next to the wall, in case one of them happened to turn around and recognize her. If she knew the blonde, one of the others might recognize her.

"Who are the Six God-Generals?" Luke asked. Ion answered, saying they were the six executive officers of the Order of Lorelei, as Cass stared at their still retreating silhouettes. There were only five here. Which was missing?

"There's Largo the Black Lion, Legretta the Quick, Arietta the Wild, Dist the Reaper, Sync the Tempest, and…" Guy paused. "The one missing is Asch the Bloody."

"They're Van's immediate subordinates," Tear brought up. "If the Six God-Generals are taking action, then the one who's trying to cause a war is Van."

"The Six God-Generals side with the Grand Maestro. Mohs is likely giving orders to Van," Ion said.

Tear defended Grand Maestro Mohs' position on the war, but wasn't able to say anything about the mission she was on that would actually provide proof to her statement. Cass furrowed her brows in confusion, completely lost on that matter. Ion, the Fon Master, the head of the Order of Lorelei, didn't want a war to begin. That is why he's here in the first place. Shouldn't the rest of the Order share his same ideals? Before the blonde was able to ask about this, Luke got riled up at Tear's accusation, started making wild claims about Tear being a spy, since "Master Van wouldn't ever try to start a war!" Ion and Guy stopped the argument as quickly as they could, managed to calm down Luke a little bit in the process. Ion, ever the peace-keeper, recommended that they rest at the inn here for the night. No one objected—it was the only way they could be sure not to be caught by any Oracle Knights that might be wandering the outskirts of the city still.

Taking advantage of the lack of conflict and conversation, Cass decided to speak up. "I'm a little confused," she piped up suddenly. Tear turned to look at the older girl. "Why would Grand Maestro Mohs—or Commandant Grants—stand in opposition to Ion's stance on the war? Someone from the Order is sending soldiers to stop him. Doesn't everyone in the Order desire the fulfillment the Score?"

"You're not familiar with the Order of Lorelei, either?" Tear asked, looking a little worried. Cassia blinked at her, not really understanding what she meant, until she realized that Luke must have asked the same thing. She looked down, almost sheepishly, and felt a little stupid for not knowing how the Order of Lorelei worked since it must have been common knowledge. Tear answered her question. "There are two factions in the Order. There's one that's centered on the Fon Master: the reformist faction, and one centered on Grand Maestro Mohs: the conservative faction. Ion's focuses more on Yulia's teachings, while Mohs' focuses on the Score."

"Oh, I see…" Cass trailed off. "Are you part of the conservative faction, Tear? You defended the Grand Maestro quite vehemently."

Tear shook her head and denied the accusation. "I'm neutral. Yulia's Score is important, but so are the Fon Master's wishes."

The blonde nodded, understanding a little bit more than before, but still felt out of the loop. She shot Ion a glance as they walked into the inn, paid the woman at the desk for two rooms. The way Tear worded her answer, it seemed like Ion didn't care much for the Score. Was he doing something to oppose it? Cassia didn't know all that much about the Score, never really cared about it like her coworkers in the castle did, and her knowledge about Yulia and her teaching were just as limited. From the stories, it seemed like she was just an extraordinary fonist, but otherwise completely normal. Perhaps that was something she should keep to herself, especially since she was travelling with the Fon Master. She didn't want to insult him.

Despite the ratio of men to women in this group, Tear and Cass were given their own room while the other four shared a single one, something Cass was immensely thankful for. The sun would be setting in a little bit, so the women decided to go out into the town and buy more supplies, since the walk to Kaitzur would take a few weeks. According to the Tear, there were a few small villages between St. Binah and the border, but they wouldn't be able to refresh their supplies too often, or find a roof over their heads most nights. Cass nodded, completely fine with sleeping outside.

Shopping for food was a bit of a hassle, as Cassia tried to keep Luke's food preferences in mind. His picky eating habits were going to be the death of him, especially since good quality chicken was _so_ _expensive_. In the end, there wasn't much she could do; they didn't have the funds to satiate Luke's palette and anything he liked wouldn't have kept like dried meat could. That upset Cass a little, who was fond of fruit which also wouldn't last too long.

After getting a decent amount of food, Tear and Cass stopped by a medicine shop, using most of their funds on different gels, anything they could afford because they would probably need it for walking halfway across the continent. This would be a long trip…

The girls returned to their room and dropped off their new supplies before heading into the boys' room, where Jade asked Ion about where the soldiers took him after they took over the Tartarus. He said that they went to a Sephiroth. Luckily for Cass, Luke was just as clueless about what these were, so everyone else explained. Sephiroth were ten very powerful fon slots, which basically meant that memory particles—which were a planetary fuel made of Seventh Fonons—gathered and concentrated fonons easily. Of course, Ion wasn't able to say what the God-Generals brought him there for, which made Luke complain again. Before anyone could reprimand the redhead for being annoying, Luke decided to go off to sleep. Figuring it was best to leave the noble alone for now, Cass decided not to break the news of their food purchases tonight. He was already in a bad enough mood.

Cass and Tear turned in just after entering their room, not bothering to say much other than a short "good night" to one another. Apparently Tear was a woman of few words as Cass was. Pulling the sheets up to her chin and shutting her eyes, it didn't take long for the world to fade to black and sleep to overtake the blonde.

* * *

_"Cassia! You were supposed to watch after him! How could you be so careless? He could have been killed!" _

_Her voice was harsh, her anger reaching her amber eyes and making them flash with an inner fire. A fire that conveyed more than just fury, but a huge amount of distaste. Cassia didn't like the expression, averting her gaze to the wooden floor and grasping at her arm. It was covered in blood and her sleeve was all but torn to shreds. Her arm didn't look much better off, cuts trailing down it. "I'm so sorry, M-Miss Sonel… I didn't notice the w-wolves until Levi started shouting…"_

_The woman shot her another heated glare before directing her attention back to the young boy. His eyes were open, ochre that matched Sonel's directed at the floor, but his silver hair had a bit of blood on the fringe from the cut on his forehead. His knees were scuffed and his palms had a few cuts from where he fell, but other than that he was fine. He didn't say anything, just kept looking downwards. Sonel went back to casting another arte to heal Levi, making the small injures vanish. She checked over him once more, earning an embarrassed groan of "Mother…" from him. Nodding to herself, she turned away from Levi and focused once more at the girl, standing there and trying not to cry from the pain and the older woman's cruel words._

_"Go sit on the table," Miss Sonel all but spat. "I can't have you bleeding all over the floor. Levi, you may leave while I tend to Cassia." Her tone towards him was much warmer, but what did Cassia expect? After all, she loved her son._

_The young girl did as she was ordered and the younger boy scampered off almost immediately. Miss's hands were not gentle as they moved Cassia's limbs around, using the Seventh Fonon to close everything up, ceasing the flow of blood. Her body still ached tremendously. "There," Sonel said, crossing her arms over her chest, frowning. "How are you supposed to become the Lugus if you cannot even protect Levi from harm? Nature is supposed to bend to your will; if you can't keep a few monsters at bay then you are undeserving of the title. Now, clean up your mess. Your father can't see all the dirt you tracked in." With that, Miss turned on her heel, leaving young Cassia alone on the table while the light-haired woman muttered, "How someone so wicked is destined to become the Lugus is beyond me… perhaps there's a way to bypass the line…" under her breath. That hurt, too._

_She tried her hardest, used all the training Daddy taught her to protect Levi. Fonic artes weren't easy no matter how much she practiced, but she was doing decent in hand-to-hand combat! The wolves didn't even hurt him much—it was all the fall he took. Miss didn't seem to care what hurt him, though. Cassia would just have to make sure that next time they went out together, she would make sure he didn't even trip over his own feet! Miss Sonel would be proud of her then!_

_Cassia did as she was told, cleaned up her mess silently. She worked hard, wanting to make the floors shine for Miss and Daddy, though they never would because they weren't made to shine. Levi peeked in at one point, and Cassia tried to say something to him, but he hid quickly. She sniffed and rubbing at her gray eyes, wishing that Daddy would be back from his trip right now._

_Daddy came home that night, to Cassia's utter delight. She and him and Miss and Levi all ate together. She was still hurting a little, Miss didn't bother to do much other than close the wounds, but that didn't keep the grin from Cassia's face. Her complexion didn't fit in, too light despite all the time she spent outside compared to the tanned skin of everyone else, but when Daddy gave her a smile, his stormy eyes shining with pride at something she did, she _knew beyond a doubt_ that she could make him and Miss proud. She'd take that title, earn it, deserve it._

Beams of sunlight shone through the blinds and onto Cassia's face. Gray eyes opening blearily, she sat up, ran a hand through her unruly hair. She hadn't had a dream in a long time, not for at least a few months. On instinct she reached for her notebook on her bedside table, only to remember too late that she wasn't at the castle anymore. She didn't bother bringing her dream journal with her. Cass frowned to herself, the feeling of determination that she had in her dream fading almost instantly. Perhaps Luke would let her have some paper later… she did need to write to Natalia still.

Tear was already out of bed and no longer in the room, downstairs eating if Cass had to take a guess. She got ready silently, trying to remember everything in the dream to how she felt to Miss's words. She still couldn't do fonic artes, was told it wouldn't be good for her fonon levels if she tried. That hadn't changed at all, it seemed. Maybe she was from a family of powerful fonists? It would make sense, the disappointment in Sonel's voice and the harsh words about Cassia's inability to protect that Levi boy.

What was that about a 'Lugus' also? As far as she knew she had never heard the word before and even as she repeated it to herself out loud it didn't give her any sort of feeling—she didn't associate it with anything. Normally something as strange as that would feel… familiar somehow.

Everyone met in the lobby of the inn shortly after Cass entered it. After Luke joined them, they were finally able to leave St. Binah and head to Kaitzur. A flood earlier in the season caused the bridge to Akzeriuth to collapse, making them have to travel through Fubras River to reach the border. It would take a few more days, but that didn't seem like it would be much deterrence to keeping Luke away from Van.

The days that past were short and not very exciting. The weather was beautiful, not too hot during the day and not too cold in the dead of the night, and overall left Cass in a great mood, her lips upturned almost constantly. The plains of Rugnica were peaceful and lush and everything Cass loved about the outdoors. Her mood even made her more inclined to join in most of the conversations; if something piqued her interest, she was quick to satiate her curiosity. She asked Mieu about what he meant by her smelling like home, and he clarified— said she smelled of grass and dirt and rushing, clean water. Everyone had been outside for days on end, but apparently she was the only one that smelled familiar to him.

Occasionally they would wander into a nest of birds and the monsters would attack, or walk on a boar's territory, but they were nothing the group of five couldn't handle in a few minutes (though Ion stood in the back, ever the pacifist). The battles dampened Cass's happiness ever so slightly, but there was nothing she could do about it. The fight was inevitable. When it came to meals, Luke stopped complaining after the first few days, resigned himself to eating whatever was available. They would take turns cooking every night, but it didn't take much time for a unanimous decision to be reached and remove Luke from the rotation.

Night shifts were kept mostly to Jade and Guy, though Tear, Luke, and Cass would took one of the night shifts when they decided the men deserved a break (or, in Luke's case, was forced into taking a shift). It had been the night before reaching the banks of the Fubras River when the blonde took over Tear's position so she could get some sleep, when Cass realized she hadn't sent a letter to Natalia like she was supposed to.

Cass cursed to herself under her breath as she dug through the item bag hastily, trying to find something to write on and write with.

A voice interrupted her in the middle of writing profuse apologies to the princess, since she wouldn't be able to send the letter until they reached the border. "Your handwriting is terrible." The voice made Cass jump in surprise, and she tried to spin around, but sitting on the ground made it difficult and she almost fell in the dirt. His voice was smooth, even though it should have been slightly raspy like Cassia's became after waking up and not drinking water. Her gray eyes peered up at the colonel, giving him a slight nod of acknowledgment before returning to the paper.

"I didn't know the Fonic alphabet until recently…" she explained, not bothering to ask him why he was looking at her letter. "Princess Natalia found me after the battle in Northern Chesedonia three years ago and I had amnesia. She believes that Malkuth caused it, like they did when they kidnapped Luke."

Jade sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It seems that once we arrive in Baticul to talk about the peace treaty, I'll also have to talk some sense into your princess. The Malkuth military doesn't utilize technology that would cause amnesia in the manner Luke was affected."

Cass looked up from the paper again at his exasperated tone, raising an eyebrow at him. Wasn't there some rule against divulging military secrets—or lack thereof—to people? "Supposedly, mine wasn't as bad as Luke's," she told him quietly. "He had to relearn everything, I heard… how to talk, walk, _everything_. I still remembered my name. I still remember things occasionally as well."

"I see. With a bit more practice, you might be able to write as well as Mieu."

Cass blinked at him. "Mieu is able to write?" she asked slowly.

"Oh, yes. You haven't seen it?" To the question the blonde shook her head. "He writes as well as Luke. It's quite amazing."

She had no idea! To think that a cheagle would actually have better penmanship! "That is amazing... I hope it will not take long for me to write that well." It didn't seem to bother Natalia, but there was nothing wrong with trying to better a skill she had. And she thought that just learning how to write was an accomplishment. They fell into silence as Cassia continued to write her letter to the princess. With only the crackling of the fire filling the night, she almost thought that she was alone once more until Jade spoke again.

"Are you aware that you talk in your sleep?" Jade said suddenly, making Cass's head shoot up to meet his gaze. She gave him a worried, questioning look, wondering why he would say such a thing. He looked amused at her expression, but explained, "You say, 'I am not wicked.' Occasionally you'll say something else, but you repeat that."

She felt her face heat up and swung her head in a way so her hair would curtain her face, hiding any sign of embarrassment before he could see. Miss Sonel called her that in the dream… It must have left a deep scar on her conscious to have her repeating it in her sleep. The silver-haired woman must have had a big impact on her, and likely not in a positive manner. She couldn't remember most of her dreams, but maybe if she knew what she was saying she would be able to recall certain events. She may not have particularly minded never remembering her past, but she wasn't going to let the opportunity to know it slip through her fingers.

"Jade, will you…" Cass hesitated, wondering if she should make the request. She bit her lip slightly and lifted her gaze to his. "That phrase… it's related to a dream I had a few nights ago. I think it may have been a memory. Will you… let me know if I say anything else in my sleep? I think it may help me regain some of my memory…"

He kept that smile on his face and simply shrugged. "I don't see any harm in doing that."

She smiled at him. "Thank you, Jade… Though, shouldn't you be asleep? Or do you want to take over my watch?"

"Oh, no. My old bones need a break after keeping up with you youngsters." Her smile disappeared. Surely he couldn't have been that much older than she was (of course, she didn't exactly _know_ her age). Jade wandered off to the other side of the fire place, and she spent the rest of the night in silence.

* * *

Fubras River looked much calmer than it must have been earlier in the year. The water wasn't anywhere close to the banks, and there were even bars of land in the shallower sections of the river, which much it so much easier to travel through. While the current was fairly strong, it wasn't enough to carry anyone downstream to the ocean unless they weren't paying much attention. But if it reached its banks or even flooded, Cass could see it doing serious damage to the surrounding areas, especially since the land was so flat in this part of Malkuth.

"I don't see how a river like this could take out the bridge to Akzeriuth. It doesn't look all that special," Luke brought up once they reached one of the sand bars, close to the middle of the river.

"If it rains a lot over a short period of time, the river would be filled all the way to the banks," Cass told him, pointing back the way they had come. "That would be right up to where the land gained its downward slope, perhaps higher if it flooded. Water is a strong force, and it should not be underestimated."

"Cass is right," Tear agreed. "Both the sea and rivers can be dangerous, especially during floods. They can be unpredictable as well."

Luke waved her words off. "Yeah, yeah. It's fine now, though. And it's not like I'll have to deal with it once I get back to Baticul. We're almost out of the river, anyway."

Cass sighed, wondering how someone could just shrug off information like that. While Luke might live on the top tier of the city, that didn't make the Kimlascan capital the best place to live during a food. There were hardly any ways for rain water to drain from the highest tier of the city to the ocean—it could get flooded easily.

Once they cleared the river with nothing more than soaked shoes (and, in the case of Tear and Luke, pants), they made their way back up the banks. The ground didn't even begin to level out before a ball of lightning flew right in front of the group. Cass, who happened to be close to the front, gasped from the shock and stumbled backwards. Tear steadied her before brandishing her staff, wary.

Two large cat-like monsters charged forward, stopping before the group. A young, pink-haired girl climbed off the back of one of the creatures, and Ion stepped forward.

"Arietta! Please, let us go. We can't let this war happen."

Cassia's eyes narrowed slightly. This was one of the God-Generals from St. Binah. She glanced at Ion, before moving closer to the girl, standing slightly in front of the Fon Master, but off to his side. Arietta didn't seem to notice the defensive shield the blonde was trying to be, instead buried her face into the doll she was holding. "I want to help you, Ion… but those people are my enemies! They killed Mommy!"

"What are you talking about? When did we ever do something like that?!" Luke shouted.

"Mommy moved into the Cheagle Woods after her home burned down. She was just trying to protect my liger brothers and sisters…" she waved her arm haphazardly, wildly gesturing to the monsters at her side, "and you _killed_ her! I won't ever forgive you!" she cried, raising her doll up into the air. Before she could command her ligers to attack, or attack them herself, the ground began to shake violently.

Cass stumbled once more, the tremors through the earth throwing her off balance. She managed to keep her balance despite the constant quaking, but this was _not _something she expected to happen. She had never experienced an earthquake before, but she knew how unpredictable they were. The ground shifted, misaligning itself and opening up fissures in the ground. Purple smog began to seep through the cracks, and Cass covered her face with her sleeve on instinct, but couldn't quite stop the small coughing fit in time. The others followed in suit, but Arietta wasn't that reactive. She fell to the ground along with her monsters, and then the ground began to fault.

Luke started to panic, and Cass almost yelled at him to calm down, but the sound of singing caused her to stay silent. Her head turned towards Tear, and a look of utter confusion formed on her face. Why was she singing?

"Fonic hymns at a time like this?" Jade questioned, voicing Cass's thoughts.

"That's one of Yulia's fonic hymns!"

Cassia inhaled sharply once more as a dome of light surrounded everyone. Tear continued to sing her song and, little by little, the smog began to clear away. Once her voice faded, the barrier did as well. "I've applied a vibration identical to the inherent vibration of the miasma," she explained quickly. "It's a temporary shield. It won't last long."

"Then we need to get out of here before the miasma comes back," Jade stated. Cass nodded to herself in agreement, almost started to head back up the bank, until she noticed that Jade was walking sideways, conjuring up his spear as he made his way over to the unconscious Arietta.

Was he… going to kill her? The blonde frowned and sprinted over as fast as she could. She was defenseless and young and had done nothing but pose as a minor road block. There was _no_ reason for her to die.

Jade paused slightly after Luke shouted, demanding to know why Arietta had to die. Using the slight hesitation to her advantage, Cassia managed to make her way between the colonel and God-General before he reached her. "She is defenseless and just a little girl," she stated, mentally thanked Luke for his opposition to the action, looking up at Jade defiantly. "You cannot kill her."

"If we let her live, she'll come after us again," he explained, and Cass thought she saw his crimson eyes narrow the slightest bit. Aside from that (which might have only been her imagination), Jade was stoic, expression unwavering.

The attendant understood that, but the fact remained that Arietta had done them no harm, and it was possible that she would continue to do so. It just wouldn't sit well with her to end the life of someone who might have had no intention of ending theirs.

"But how can you kill someone unconscious and defenseless?" Luke retorted, his eyes as cold as Cass's were.

Tear shook her head and sighed. "You're too soft, Luke."

He whirled on her, turning away from Jade. "Shut up you cold hearted-!"

"Let her go Jade," Ion pleaded. "Arietta was originally one of the Fon Master Guardians."

He did nothing for a moment. Eventually, he yielded, made his spear vanish as he took a few steps away from the girl. Cass relaxed, covering another cough with her sleeve. She didn't even notice she was as tense as she was.

"You don't mind if we move her away from the miasma before we leave, do you?" Guy asked.

Jade turned to the blond, a smile on his face despite the situation, but Cass didn't like how it felt. It was too cold to fit with an expression that was supposed to be warm. "I don't think I can complain about that, seeing as how I'm already letting her live."

Cassia liked to think she wasn't one to become angry. She was level-headed, rather impassive when Luke tried to get a rise out of her. The redhead was annoying and abrasive, but she had never been legitimately angry at him, or anyone else as far as she could remember. She didn't even think she had ever used the word 'hate' in reference to a person, either. But if there was any time or any person she would consider using it in relation to, it was to Jade right now. How in the world could he be so… Cass didn't even believe that being in the military could turn someone to react like he did.

Arietta had significantly injured _no one_ and they would have reaped no benefits with her death. If anything, the rest of the Oracle Knights would have made getting Ion to Baticul much more difficult. It wasn't like killing a rabbit and then eating it, or killing a soldier that was aiming to end yours. Her death would have been utterly pointless. It didn't make sense to her. Jade immediately wanting to do something that he wouldn't be able to amend left a bad taste in her mouth. He had been so kind the night before, too… going so far as to say he would help her. What had happened? Or was this the type of person he actually was?

This remained at the forefront of her mind the rest of the way to the border. Luke always complained about Tear being cold-hearted. But, after spending so much time with her thoughts, Cass could only see that Jade brought that coldness to a completely new level. It was… much, much worse than Tear's. And that frightened her a little.

About a day and a half into the walk to Kaitzur, the colonel dropped his lighthearted attitude, which was beginning to grate on Cass's nerves since she decided it was a façade, and his tone became a tad bit more serious as he asked about Tear's song back at the river. Tear explained that her hymns were different from regular spell incantations, because they were passed down from Yulia's descendants.

After that conversation, and for the last day and a half of walking, Cass began to interact with her companions more, finally withdrawing from herself. She observed Jade like a hawk, narrowing her eyes at him when something he said didn't match the tone he said it in, but he either didn't notice her intensely scrutinizing gaze or ignored it. She volunteered to keep watch; having Jade listen to her talk in her sleep made her somewhat uneasy now.

When they walked into the border fortress, a young girl was talking to a Malkuth soldier, begging to be let through despite losing her identification as passport. According to Luke, that was Anise.

Cass frowned. She seemed a bit too young to be crossing the continent herself.

Everything happened to fast, after Anise began to step away from the soldiers. They didn't let her through; Anise tackled Luke into a hug once she realized he was there, and flirted with him more than Imri had ever flirted with her at once. Luke was attacked by a bloodthirsty redhead, but Van appeared out of the blue and parried the blade that was aiming to end Luke's life.

Tear took out some of her knives, but Van held up a hand, telling her that he wasn't planning on starting a fight. He'd wait at the inn for them, and fill them in on what was going to happen, especially since Luke, Tear, and apparently Anise didn't have the means to cross the border right now.

* * *

**SKIT: KEEPING SURVEILLENCE**

_Character(s): Luke_

**Luke ****_(annoyed):_** *Sigh* How the hell did I end up being stuck with so many cold-hearted—

_Cassia enters._

**Cassia ****_(default):_** Hello, Luke.

**Luke ****_(shocked):_** Gah! _(angry)_ Dammit, Cass! You really need to wear a bell or something!

**Cassia ****_(contemplative):_** I don't… think that would be the best idea. Wouldn't it get annoying?

**Luke ****_(annoyed):_** Tch, never mind. _(default)_ You need something?

**Cassia ****_(default):_** Oh, yes. I just wanted to thank you for standing up to Jade about Arietta… Neither Guy nor Ion said anything at first, and I feel like Tear agreed with him. He just…_ (worried)_ It didn't seem like he would have stopped if it was just me in the way.

**Luke ****_(upset):_** I doubt he would have stopped. I don't trust that old man.

**Cassia****_ (worried):_** I feel the same... But there isn't much we can do about this as it stands. _(default)_ I would like to keep an eye on him. May I take over your night watches?

**Luke****_ (default):_** Yeah, that's fine. _(happy)_ Lemme know if there's something up with him, will you? (Someone to keep Jade from murdering us all _and_ I get out of night watch? Could this conversation be any better?)


	9. This Darkness

**Disclaimer: **Tales of the Abyss and all characters therein do not belong to me. That honor goes to Namco Bandai. This story is for fun only, and I do not profit from it.

* * *

**Nederim**

Chapter 08 / This Darkness

_"In my darkest dreams, I follow you into the night. In my darkest dreams, I walk with you beyond the light." - Sirenia_

* * *

Tear composed herself quickly, but that didn't keep her mind from racing or from dropping her guard. It was only a matter of time before she ran into her brother again, and she was prepared to do what she needed to do, but he either didn't know _why_ she wanted to kill him, or he was quite the actor. The latter wouldn't surprise her, but she agreed to remain civil for the time being, if only to get a passport to cross the border. She and the others quickly headed into the inn Van walked to, joined her brother in the biggest room in the inn. Van took a sweeping glance around the crowd, before resting his gaze on his little sister.

"Have you calmed down a bit?"

Tear almost felt a crack form in the wall of her resolve at his tone. He sounded as caring as ever, using that same tone he would when she had just started her Oracle Knight training and everyone aside from Major Legretta shunned her when her best friend accused her of killing a rappig. The same voice he would use when she was upset, right after their mother had died, and he would soothe her and then sing to her until she fell asleep.

She couldn't think about that right now. As it currently stood, he was the enemy until proven otherwise. She would not trust him. The melodist ignored his question. "Why are you interfering with Fon Master Ion's efforts to prevent war?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Are you still saying that?" He sounded exasperated, but Tear didn't allow her neutral mask to fall. She would continue to say that until he did something to help.

When Tear didn't reply to his question, Luke glanced at her before looking back at his swordplay instructor and asked earnestly, "She's wrong, isn't she, Master?"

"But the Six God-Generals are trying to kidnap Fon Master Ion," she said. "They respond to your commands, Van."

"I have no idea why the Fon Master is even here to begin with, Tear," Van started. She didn't believe him. Actions spoke louder than words. "All I've heard from the Order is that Ion vanished from the cathedral in Daath."

The Fon Master apologized to Van, and began to tell him about what has happened since he left Daath. He and Anise left in secret with Colonel Curtiss in order to keep those of Maestro rank and above unaware of what was happening. That was why Van didn't know about it. From there, he noted how the bridge to Chesedonia was damaged before they were able to cross over. He summarized the rest, meeting her and Luke in Engeve, Cheagle Woods, and the God-General's siege and subsequent demolition of the Tartarus and its crew. Once again, he refused to divulge on the Order's motives for the attack, or where they took him.

He briefly mentioned joining with Guy and Cass and getting split with his Fon Master Guardian, but was quick to say that the others protected him while she was away. That brought the commandant up to date.

Van claimed the God-Generals were under order from Grand Maestro Mohs, and that he had nothing to do with the constant attacks. Despite his adamant claims, Tear still refused to believe her brother. He had the rank to command the God-Generals, and the Grand Maestro wouldn't want war. Van said he must have been called to find Ion because he was 'kidnapped' by the Malkuth military.

It all made sense in theory, and as much as Tear wanted to believe him, she couldn't help but remember everything he would say about the Score and wanting to change things. Not to mention the major had attacked the Tartarus. Tear doubted she would do as much as she did under orders of the Grand Maestro.

"The one who attacked you earlier, Asch, is also one of the Six God-Generals," Van said. "But even I didn't know he was involved in the matter."

He sounded sincere. Tear asked, "So, are you saying that you have nothing to do with all this?"

Van did take the blame for not realizing what his troops were doing, which did make his sister relax the smallest bit, even if she didn't want to believe him. He said that he didn't agree with the orders the God-Generals were carrying out. The fact that he said this—assuming he was telling the truth—meant that the God-Generals were under the orders of Grand Maestro Mohs. The melodist knew that Van was not part of the Grand Maestro faction; he didn't like the Score. She felt confused. Why would the Grand Maestro be against the Fon Master travelling as an emissary of peace? Was he concerned for the Fon Master's health? While she had only been travelling with Ion for a little while, he did seem incredibly fragile.

Her brother asked why she was here. Tear figured he meant why she was no longer in Yulia City, not why she had attacked him in Baticul. She wasn't at liberty to say and told him as much, earning a groan of annoyance out of Luke. Tear ignored him.

"Does it have to do with the Seventh Fonstone?" Van asked. Tear frowned at him, not able to say anything to confirm or deny the assumption. She hoped her silence left some room for doubt about her mission.

Cass ended up asking what the Seventh Fonstone was. Everyone aside from Guy and Luke stared at her, Tear included. But then Tear remembered that Cass didn't know much about the Order of Lorelei; the fonstones must have also been something she didn't know about—they were rather important to the Order, after all. "It's part of the Score that Yulia read 2000 years ago. The world's future is written within," Tear explained.

Ion continued, "The Score was so long, it took up seven fonstones, each the size of a mountain. Eventually the stones broke apart. Some became the fon belt you see in the sky. Others fell to the earth."

"Malkuth and Kimlasca both tried to claim the stones that fell to land," Anise cut in, "and that led to war. Because, if you have the fonstones, you can learn the future. That's why the Order of Lorelei was created. It's a neutral, theistic, party that reads the Score to both Malkuth and Kimlasca, in order to prevent another war."

Cass wrinkled her nose the slightest bit, but didn't say anything more other than an "I see." The blonde seemed confused still, or maybe it was concern in her eyes, but she didn't seem to want to ask any more questions about it. Van ended the conversation shortly after, told everyone to rest here and meet up with him at Kaitzur Naval Port. Before he left, Guy reminded him about passports, and Van handed over a few temporary ones from Duke Fabre.

Once again, the girls had their own room while the men had a different one. Tear didn't mind, and after making sure everyone knew when they would be leaving in the morning, she, Anise, and Cass went out to buy more supplies. They still had more than half of what they bought in St. Binah, but Kaitzur Naval Port was farther from the border than the citadel was—Tear wasn't going to risk any chance of running out of something they might need in the future.

Anise was as cheerful as ever, asking questions about the two older women and Luke. Tear wasn't able to answer much of the questions about the noble, but Cass was surprisingly helpful in answering the Fon Master Guardian's questions. Tear didn't realize the princess's attendant would spend so much time at the manor.

"Princess Natalia is Luke's fiancée…" Cass said, when asked by a somewhat envious Anise about why she knew so much about the young noble. "I'm her attendant, so I keep an eye on her, including when she visits the manor. I act as something like a messenger as well when she's busy. She also enabled me to take the same classes he did. I've had prolonged exposure to Luke."

"You took classes with him?" Tear asked, carefully putting some glass bottles of gels into her bag. She walked away from the vendor and looked for another that sold food. Cass and Anise followed after her. "Weren't they too easy for you?"

Cass shook her head. "Some of them were… but I lost most of my memory three years ago… It wasn't as extreme as Luke's memory loss. Things like the Fonic alphabet and geography and my past I had to relearn… or am in the process of relearning."

Amnesia explained so much about Cass. Her questions about the Order of Lorelei that most people knew suddenly seemed justified—she simply didn't remember anything about it. Tear felt a twinge of sympathy for her. That couldn't be easy on her, just like it wasn't easy for Luke.

"Wait, so you lost all your memories, too?" Anise asked. The pitch of her voice was raised in disbelief.

"Yes, that's correct," she replied, as if it didn't even matter. She was certainly more mature about her memory loss than Luke was, not to mention well-adjusted. Tear wondered what made Cass seem so much less ignorant than Luke was, despite suffering from amnesia like he did. "I remember bits and pieces, I think… when I dream, though Princess Natalia named me."

"Your name might not even be Cass, then?"

Cass shook her head and smiled. It was the first time Tear had seen her look anything other than curious or impassive. "I remembered my name rather quickly… but Princess Natalia called me Cassandra since she didn't think Cass suited me. A few weeks after she found me I remembered that my name was Cassia. My surname, Brightwing, is from her. I still don't remember it… it doesn't bother me anymore."

Tear remained passive about that outwardly, but she didn't like how Cass seemed to have just given up on recovering her memories. The melodist almost wished she was able to help, just like she wished she could help Luke with his amnesia, but she didn't know where to begin. The fact that she had dreams about her past was already more than what Luke was getting, though. As she dwelled on the subject, Luke didn't seem to care much either; it seemed to the soldier that his family was more concerned about his past the he was. Maybe the past just didn't seem important to them anymore? After all, you couldn't change anything that happened, so perhaps, after years of little or no improvement, both decided on their own to stop trying to look backwards, focus instead on what was in front of them. If that was the case, she couldn't judge either of them for their decision.

Once the three finished their shopping, Cass split off to deliver some letters, likely reports to the princess. Anise and Tear didn't wait for her, instead headed to their room to get ready for the night. Tear checked the younger girl over for any injuries, asked her about her trip to the border and everything that happened on the Tartarus to make sure she was fine. Anise wasn't hurt at all, surprisingly, aside from a few bruises here and there. The young girl was certainly a competent Fon Master Guardian—the commander and Ion picked well.

Cass came into the room shortly after and, after a quick glance around the small room, declared that she would sleep on the floor for the night. Tear was quick to ask, "Are you sure? You've been taking the last few night watches." She was quick to volunteer for them—and it seemed like she stepped in for Luke time to time as well.

Before the attendant could speak up, Anise said, "We could always share a bed! I don't mind, and I doubt Tear would either." The melodist nodded in agreement.

But the blonde just shook her head. "Anise, you probably haven't gotten a decent night's rest in ages—you were travelling by yourself. I wouldn't want to impose. I don't mind the floor, but thank you for the offer." Tear was about to offer sharing the bed with her again, but before she could say anything, Cass's eyes fixated on hers. "Tear, may I ask a question? If that's all right…"

Tear looked at her for a moment. Was Cass just trying to change the subject? Instead of questioning it, she just told her asking any question was fine, and to go ahead. If she was that adamant about sleeping on the floor then she could.

"Is it possible for someone to not… for them not to have the ability to cast fonic artes?"

"I… suppose it's possible," Tear replied. Now that she thought about it, Cass didn't ever seem to use fonons at all in combat, not even when there were enough residual fonons around that even a novice could utilize them. "Perhaps if the person has their fon slots sealed, but even in that case they should be able to perform weaker artes if they know how."

"Sometimes they just don't open, too," Anise added in, sounding surprising somber for how upbeat she had been all day. "My mama's fon slots never opened enough for her to cast something like Limited efficiently." She shrugged her shoulders slightly. "But I don't know if it's because she was never taught, or if they just don't open, you know?"

Cass nodded once but didn't say anything more. Instead of letting the room fall into silence, Anise asked, "Can you not use fonic artes or something?"

The blonde's eyebrows furrowed and she frowned slightly. "I… am not sure." Anise tilted her head in confusion and Tear shot her another questioning look. "I learned about basic fonology with Luke, but I was never taught how to utilize my knowledge in the field. I did have a dream recently that made it seem as if I learned when I was younger, so I was curious."

"And you haven't tried to test it?" Anise probed.

She shook her head. "I don't think I remember how… Princess Natalia seemed worried when I first asked so I stopped thinking about it."

"You could always ask the colonel about it," Tear suggested. Of the entire party, he was certainly the most skilled fonist, even with the fon slot seal. If he didn't have that, Tear wouldn't be surprised if the colonel's skill surpassed her brother's twice over. And even with the fon slot seal, Tear thought he would be able to help Cass if her fon slots were the issue.

However, almost immediately after Tear suggested that, Cass shook her head vehemently, frown deepening. "No, it's all right. I was just curious. Thank you for your answers."

The rest of the day and night passed by uneventfully. Early the next morning, before the sun had even risen, they met up and headed through the border, finally arriving in Kimlascan territory. It couldn't be more than a few weeks, maybe a month, before Luke was home safe and sound again. Tear would be able to continue on with her mission at that point, and then she would go back to confronting her brother. She would need the time to rethink her original plan with dealing with him.

Van was gone by the time everyone had gathered together, so he likely left either late yesterday or in the middle of the night. Tear wasn't necessarily worried about _him_—he was the commandant of the Oracle Knights and her brother—he could take care of himself with ease. What did concern her was why he decided it was best for him to go on ahead. A letter could be sent ahead to the naval port to prepare a ferry to Baticul. Van didn't need to go ahead and all that did was make her more suspicious about his claims of having nothing to do with the God-General's attack on the Tartarus. If she couldn't keep her eyes on him, how was she supposed to trust him? Words were meaningless, and he wasn't trying very hard to keep his sister on his side with his actions.

* * *

"Hey, old man! Can't you dip into your country's funds or something and hire a carriage? This is taking forever! Or do you actually _want_ a war to start? 'Cause at this pace, it's gonna happen if I don't get home and talk with my uncle."

Tear shot Luke a look that he didn't even see and sighed to herself. It was only a matter of time before Luke directed his complaints towards the people around him, rather than everything else. It had been relatively quiet on that front, too. Van seemed to calm the noble down, and Luke actually spent most of the first week moping about how Van decided to go on ahead instead of yelling and complaining at everyone. It was still irritating, though not nearly as much.

"Ah, it seems like just yesterday that you didn't even know a war was about to happen, Luke," the colonel sighed, as if he were reminiscing about some fond memory. "You've grown up so fast, to know just how urgent our mission is."

Tear frowned, wishing that the colonel would stop provoking Luke. It might be entertaining for everyone else at the time, but she was getting tired with the pointless arguments that ensued afterwards. Luke said something else, his tone agitated, but she ignored him.

"—no reason to carry money with him, Jade. He was isolated to the manor and had no plans of being removed from that setting," Cass was saying, defending Luke like she always did when the colonel would say something to annoy the redhead. Which happened more often than not. It normally earned her some sort of comment from the colonel, and she wouldn't understand it. He seemed to enjoy making her confused as much as he liked irritating Luke.

Then Guy would say something to try and stop the argument and save everyone's sanity. "Come on, Luke. It might take a while, but at least you're getting in a lot of combat experience. Imagine the kind of fight you'd put up against Master Van once you get back home?" It probably still wouldn't be much of a fight, from what Tear knew of Luke and her brother. The swordsman usually did his job at ending the squabble, like he did this time, so Tear kept her thoughts to herself.

The Fon Master would just watch the entire thing with a soft smile and kind eyes. He wouldn't say anything unless the mood of the entire group dropped, then he would be quick to try and change the subject to something else. Tear enjoyed his presence greatly; her patience would have been tested so much more if Ion didn't try to keep the peace. He had a calming air about him, and everyone here respected him enough to drop any sort of row if he made it clear that he didn't want anyone fighting.

Anise's company was also a nice change, most of the time. Luke still complained a lot, but at least he wasn't quite as vocal about food when the Oracle Knight cooked. She would always look for praise from Luke, sighing like she was living a daydream, and talking about how she couldn't wait to become Mrs. fon Fabre. Surprisingly Luke didn't seem to mind to comments and he treated her better than he treated most everyone else. But then there were times when she would provoke Luke and, to a lesser extent, the colonel, which would make everything worse. Those were usually the times when Ion stepped in.

Tear would usually attempt to stop an argument before it even started, but it seemed like the others seemed to find a way to end them before they got too bad. Most of the time, at least. It was actually rather nice; after the first few weeks of walking to Kaitzur Naval Port, everyone seemed to simply follow a pattern and, when no one was complaining or irritating the others, their company could be pleasant. Tear was beginning to trust everyone, some more than others, but that was bound to happen when she was entrusting her survival to them. It was almost sad that everyone would be going their separate ways; she might have even considered a few of these people close to being her friends. Such was life, however, and there wasn't anything she could do about it.

After all, Tear's mission was much more important than any temporary bonds she had forged. Not to mention her brother's plans _had to_ take precedence over everything. The slight amount of faith Van had gained from their short conversation at the border was slowly dwindling away with every day that passed and Tear wasn't able to keep an eye on him.

But those were all things she could focus on when Luke was back in the capital and the colonel was making treaty arrangements between the two countries. Everything else could wait until it was time to start worrying about them. Tear had to take things one step at a time—thinking about everything she had on her plate wouldn't help when she wasn't in a position to fix any of it. Getting to the port safely was all she needed to concern herself with at the moment.

When Kaitzur Naval Port hit the horizon, nothing was wrong. Its presence seemed to rejuvenate Tear's patience (the colonel seemed to be teasing Luke much more often than before), and lift her spirits the slightest bit. They were almost out of supplies and could restock on the little amount they needed for the ferry before boarding the ship. But as time passed, smoke started to billow out and concern made everyone pick up their pace, hoping to reach Kaitzur quickly. The sight of monsters flying in and out of the port would have had Tear sprinting if they were any closer. If she broke out into a run now, she would be almost out of energy to help people. Anise blamed it on Gloomietta. The melodist took a moment to figure she meant Arietta the Wild.

Tear's eyes narrowed as she picked up her pace, nearly at a jog now. She should have let the colonel kill the girl back at Fubras River. She knew it would be a problem eventually, and now it was. She might have felt guilty at the time, but Arietta was likely planning on killing them if the earthquake didn't happen, and now innocent lives were in danger because Luke and Cass were too kindhearted.

When they entered the port, the only ship present was burnt to pieces. Liger and other monster corpses were strewn across the ground, along with a few human bodies. Van was there, and Tear immediately tensed. Had he ordered Arietta to do this?! Was this just the start of his plan? She ran forward, hand on the handle of one of her knives, ready to throw it if she needed to.

His sword was out, held out at the God-General, and that wasn't a scene she was expecting. He didn't _appear_ to be siding with Arietta's destruction of the port, but looks could be deceiving. A large bird showed up and carried her off at her call, but she stopped just long enough to give an ultimatum: bring Luke and the Fon Master to Choral Castle, or else she'd kill the only engineer that could repair the ship. She flew off to the east, and Van walked over to his sister, sword sheathed.

Even though Van told them not to go to Choral Castle, Duke Fabre's abandoned vacation home, Luke decided he wanted to go there anyway. Supposedly it was where he was found after he lost his memories, so he figured he might remember something if he went back. Cass agreed with him, saying that familiar things helped her with her memories. That made the redhead even more determined to get there as soon as possible.

Tear was about to speak against the two like she should have done earlier, but a pair of mechanics came up to the group, nearly begging them to save the chief engineer, saying that his Score read that calamity would be avoided. The Score shouldn't be ignored and, as much as Tear wanted to keep an eye on her brother, she decided to listen to the mechanics and agree to rescue the man. Ion and the colonel chose to do the same for reasons that mirrored her own. Despite Tear's attempts to rest at the port before heading out, Luke refused to listen and made his way to Choral Castle right away.

She didn't know how far away Choral Castle was, and if it was going to be a long trip, she wanted more time to stock up on supplies. Luke must have thought it wasn't too far off, but the old vacation home wasn't even on the horizon by the time the sun set. After the camp was set up and they were all sitting around eating Anise's cooking, Luke asked how far away it was. Guy said three days.

"Three days?!" Luke yelled. "Why the hell didn't anyone tell me? I could have slept in a bed tonight instead of on the ground!"

Tear kept her expression impassive as he continued to throw a temper tantrum like a child. "We tried to tell you we didn't know how long it would take to get there," she answered calmly, "but you'd tell us to shut up and follow you."

"I lost my memory! I don't remember anything; I just want to get back to Baticul as fast as possible," Luke pouted and crossed his armed over his chest. "What a pain. I should have just listened to Master Van and waiting for the training ship."

Tear wanted to scold him for acting like a five-year old. She had heard that excuse too many times over the past few months, and frankly she was tired of it. Ignorance could only protect him from some things, but Luke was being more than ignorant. He was downright impetuous and refused to listen to anyone that wasn't him. Still, she held her tongue and somehow managed to convince herself that he was still in shock from being thrown into Malkuth.

"Hey, at least after the engineer is safe we'll be able to leave right away. Won't take more than a week," Guy said, trying to cheer the redhead up.

Anise moaned in frustration. "That Gloomietta! She always ruins everything."

Tear disagreed, but she could understand where Anise was coming from. Luke's and Cass's empathy were the reasons they were all in this situation in the first place. Yes, she was old enough to have a trial for her actions, but leaving her unconscious, with the ability to cause more trouble, wouldn't help bring her into Daath's custody. At the very least they should have restrained her and taken her with them.

The brunette glanced at the colonel, who was busy making a joke and annoying Luke. For someone that could be so easy going at a time like this, he could definitely become a completely different person if the situation called for it. Given his military background and history that Tear wasn't completely sure was true, the serious part of him made sense—her training made her feel similarly about combat. After all, life was kill or be killed. Being as lighthearted as he was now wasn't something that came easily to her, though. If only everyone in the group would listen to him. He knew the most about survival and didn't seem like he would kill people unnecessarily. Tear turned her gaze away from the older man then, focused her attention back on the fire. She stoked it absentmindedly, trying to keep her thoughts off of Arietta and Choral Castle. After all, it was all in the past. All she could do now was try and make everything better.

As they travelled forward to rescue the engineer, this feeling of dread became very suffocating for Tear, especially once they reached the vacation home. She managed to hide it, but couldn't slow down the beating of her heart as she took in the façade of Choral Castle. The stone walls were covered in moss and vines that snaked their way between the spaces. Knee-high weeds covered the entire ground and vines twisted around the cobblestone paths, uplifting pieces of stone and breaking them into small pieces. Parts of the building were crumbling apart, leaving masses of beautifully decorated stone to be lost among the sea of overgrown and dead foliage.

The sound of waves crashing against the rocky cliffs, a sound that would sound calming in any other situation to Tear, became haunting as the six travelled up to the entrance. Over all, it looked like a house right out of one of those horror novels Tear so desperately avoided.

It wasn't haunted, she told herself. There might be a monster or two, but Arietta definitely did not choose this place because it was haunted. It was simply because it had meaning to Luke and it was rather close to Kaitzur Naval Port.

Tear almost wanted to be back at the port like Luke did, waiting for the training boat to arrive, but, as a member of the Oracle Knights her sense of duty _had_ to be stronger than her fear. She couldn't just leave the chief engineer here, not when his Score said that nothing bad would happen to him. Acting against the Score wouldn't be right.

Seeing his father's old vacation home didn't bring back any memories like Guy, Anise, Luke, and Cass hoped. He did say that his memories only really began when he first came home to his manor seven years ago. He didn't lose hope, though, and held onto the fact that he might still remember something if he explored.

Tear stopped him before he walked into the open doorway. The large wooden door was thrown to the side and in splinters. "This place has been abandoned for years, but you can still see signs of recent activity. Too much to just be from Arietta and a liger or two of hers." But it was all just other monsters—perhaps wolves?—that were simply taking up shelter to avoid bad weather.

Mieu stuck his head out of Luke's item bag. "I can feel scary monsters in here…" he squeaked, but even his adorable face couldn't stop Tear's heart from sinking. Her face remained calm, but on the inside it was taking almost everything she had to keep her imagination from acting up.

Everything was fine. There weren't any ghosts here.

She repeated the mantra in her head over and over, praying to Yulia that it was true.

It wasn't.


	10. Nocturnus

**Disclaimer: **Tales of the Abyss and all characters therein do not belong to me. That honor goes to Namco Bandai. This story is for fun only, and I do not profit from it.

* * *

**Nederim**

Chapter 10 / Nocturnus

_"Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it." – Terry Pratchett_

* * *

The interior of Choral Castle was even creepier than the outside. The tiled floor of the entryway was covered in cracks, just like the cobblestone outside, and lost the sheen it must have has back when the house was taken care of. There were two staircases to the left and right of the entrance that met at a second level, but fallen debris made using both of them impossible. Small rays of light managed to enter the room through cracks in the ceiling, lighting up dust motes. Cobwebs hung in every corner, and three inch layers of dust covered most surfaces. Cassia thought she must have looked similar to a rabbit with how often she wrinkled her nose to suppress an onslaught of sneezes.

The surfaces that weren't covered in dust were the ones that became animated and charged at Luke when he wasn't paying attention. Luke managed to stumble out of the way before it was able to hurt him and began to curse. Tear sang one of her hymns while Jade reprimanded the noble for not paying attention before going right into casting fonic artes. A puddle of purple water appeared under the attacker, and pulled it into the ground as Jade brought forth stalagmites to impale the enemy. The human looking part fell off of its stand, but both pieces continued attacking.

Guy and Luke stayed on the larger part, not giving it many opportunities to attack back, and it crumbled into pieces quickly. Cass acted as a shield between the stand and the three casters, spending most of her time stepping out of the way of its drawer and doing enough damage to keep it focused on her while Tear, Jade, and Anise launched arte after arte. A cast of Limited from Anise and an Energy Blast from Jade made the stand follow the same path as the larger part.

"What in the world was that?" Anise asked, shrinking her doll back to normal size and placing it on her shoulders. Cass thought it was a sort of weird question coming from Anise, who still hadn't told anyone how her doll worked.

"It was a fontech doll designed to eliminate intruders," Jade said. He stepped closer to the broken remains in order to get a better look. "It's a relatively recent model, though it looks like it has seen better days.

"We had no time to prepare for battle because _you _were careless, Luke," Tear scolded. "I hope you've learned your lesson and will stay close to the group now instead of running off by yourself."

He waved her off and started walking off again… just like she told him not to. Concerned, Cass trailed right behind him to make sure he'd be safe. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's go find the engineer and get out of here."

Cass would have thought Luke would want to spend more time here, but his old vacation home certainly felt… foreboding. She didn't want to spend more time here either, and no one else looked particularly happy to be here. Luke wandered off down the main hall and into the room between the stairs. A desk was on the inside littered with old, faded papers. Nothing of interest really—some old letters and sheets of numbers. Books were thrown on the ground and a purple glow came from the corner. It was on a dark, metal door with a pattern and there wasn't a handle to open it. Cass pushed at it; it didn't budge. Something must be behind it—it was the only door that was still standing. The two spots on the door looked like they were the same size as the one that held the purple light, but they were empty. Perhaps they needed to be filled before it would open.

Finding nothing of use in the room, they headed out and back into the main hall, and there was something Cass was dreading to see.

She didn't understand how Natalia liked the horror genre so much. It would twist your perception of the real world, make you see monsters where there were none, and fill dark corners with beings so sinister your body wouldn't let your guard fall, even if you knew there was nothing there. And there, floating down the stairwell, was a being present too often in those stories Cass never wanted to hear. It was a long, thin, robed figure with an antennae attached to its hood, which shadowed any face that may or may not have been there. Aside from the white robe, only its threatening, red eyes that glowed brightly could be seen in the dim lighting of Choral Castle.

Ghosts. She did not want to deal with this.

This one was lacking some typical traits that scary stories gave to ghosts: a chilling aura, sharp teeth and claws, nearby messages written in blood, and a malicious attitude towards anything that disturbed its undeath. The air surrounding the ghost wasn't cold, but that didn't stop Cass from shivering at its unnatural presence and, unless the teeth and claws were hidden underneath what appeared to be a robe, it looked relatively unarmed and harmless (but Anise did, too. And Cass knew better to think that the Guardian was anything but). It didn't seem to mind that they were intruding on its home, and minded its own business. That is, until Guy got too close to it and it started to run away. Once it made some distance it slowed back down, but it was never close enough to be in range of a spell or Mieu's fire. It had to be running away for a reason.

"I think we need to trap it or else it'll keep running away. Let's see if we can move stuff and block a path," Luke said. With two people, the fontech dolls that didn't seem functional moved across the floor with relative ease, and it didn't take long for everyone to close off a section of the floor. Across the room the ghost was still floating on the upper level, stayed where it thought it was safe. This one didn't seem anything like the ghosts in stories, so maybe it wouldn't be able to phase through walls and fontech dolls.

They cornered it, and _that_ was when it began acting like a ghost from those novels.

Being the closest, it phased forward and toward Cass, shrieking like a banshee at her. The second she spent stunned by its screech was enough time for its clawed hand to tear through her arm. A blast of light surrounded the two, and Cass was thrown back into a crumbling wall.

She pursed her lips and groaned and grabbed at the gash it made on her arm. That was horrible and she didn't want to go through that again. Cass removed her hand from the cut, but it didn't come back red. There was still a stinging pain, but she wasn't bleeding. Tear must have acted quickly; it usually took a lot longer for something like this to be healed up.

Guy glanced around before kneeling over and picking up a glowing red orb from the ground. Was that… the ghost's eye? Cass grimaced. Her dislike for this place kept on growing and she wanted to leave as soon as possible. "It looks like half of the key to opening the fontech door in the study. Remember how there were two slots to put something this size in?" He held the orb out for everyone to get a better look at it, but Cass stayed back. She didn't want to get close to it.

Tear nodded and handed it to Luke, who gave it back to Guy without looking at it. "Yes, it does look like it could work, but what about the other half?" Cass didn't know, and it didn't seem like anyone else did either. The only thing they could do was wander around, trying to find something else that might fit the other spot in the door. They searched each room, looking for anything with the same shape as the red sphere.

They found it eventually, pacing up and down a staircase that had fontech dolls on each landing. The dolls were taken care of first, and then they started making plans to catch the poltergeist with blue eyes. This one was slower than the red one and didn't seem nearly as scared as the red one. Cassia backed up once she felt like she was much too close, because she really didn't want to be clawed at again by one of these things. In the back of her mind she felt bad about it—she was supposed to keep Luke safe and here she was, standing behind him to avoid being attacked—but her ears were still ringing the slightest bit from the first ghost and she didn't really want to risk going deaf.

Almost as if they were reading each other's minds, the three fonists worked together to cast three artes in quick succession. A more shrill shriek emitted from the mouthless monster, but it wasn't able to phase forward like the first one was due to the onslaught of fonic artes aimed at it. Guy and Luke ran forward, and Cassia followed a second behind to keep it from acting like the first poltergeist did. An Energy Blast from Jade destroyed it, leaving behind a blue twin to the red sphere. Once the ringing in her ears died down, Cass grabbed the blue sphere and stood straight, ready to head back to the closed door.

The door vanished once the spheres were put into the slots, opening up a pathway that didn't fit with the rest of Choral Castle. It began to look and feel more like a cave rather than the vacation home of a duke—cold from the rocky walls with stone stairs leading downwards. Cass had known Luke's parents for a while, and even though she didn't know Duke Fabre as well as Lady Fabre, an addition like this didn't seem like something he would have built. She spent a lot of time at the manor, and had _never _seen anything that looked even remotely like this. The place _was _old, so it was possible that it was built long before they were born.

As they continued downward, the hallway became lighter, filled with natural light pouring in from gaping holes in the walls. The sounds from the ocean became louder and louder, right until the hallway opened up into a cavernous room, the sound of waves echoing around them. Some kind of large machine was standing proud in the center. It had a transparent, circular floor with an opaque center piece, as well as a green doomed top that looked the same as the outer part of the circle. It looked sort of new, Cass could see her reflection in the glass, and she knew that it was not here when the Duke abandoned the place. It was much too clean, barely covered in salt, to have been placed here the same time the crumbling exterior of the home was built.

Glancing around, Cass figured that everyone else was pretty absorbed in the machine so she decided to see if there was something around she knew something about. This one didn't seem like something she'd be able to understand in her lifetime, and no one else seemed to know what it was actually used for. Spotting another set of stairs, Cass decided to take them down and see if she could figure out anything there.

Another machine was there with a bunch of pulleys and levers and buttons, but it lacked any labels so she didn't know what any of them did. The voices of her companions echoed around her, but their volume wasn't enough for her to make out what they were saying. Her hands ghosted over the buttons, cold and enticing her to press them and see what would happen. As great the temptation to push a button was, she refrained; Cass did _not_ want to risk the machine doing… whatever it was created for and begin destroying things.

A scream that sounded like Anise made Cass's head shoot upwards, hand flying away from the machine. Were they under attack? It didn't sound like anyone was fighting—there were no weapons being drawn or—

Another scream made Cassia fly towards the stairs, going up them two at a time. "Guy?"

She reached the top of the flight in time to see Jade helping Guy stand. Anise looked scared and worried, and both Tear and Luke were facing away from her. "That was more than a startled reaction. What's wrong?" Jade asked.

What happened? Why did Guy yell? She looked around, trying to get any clues from her surroundings. Did Anise do something? Did something scare her and Guy?

"I don't know," Guy replied, rubbing the back of his head. "My body just reacted…" he turned to Anise and apologized.

"Did something happen?" Ion asked. "That didn't look like a mere aversion to females."

Cass heaved a sigh of relief. It was just his phobia reacting, then? That was good; she was worried that it was something else. "I'm sorry," Guy apologized again. "I really don't know. I wasn't like this as a kid. But there's a part of my memory that's completely missing. The cause may lie there…"

She didn't know that something was wrong with his memory, too. Luke voiced the same thought and the blond servant answered, "I don't think it's like you or Cass," he explained. "I'm only missing the memory from when my family died." Guy turned to face Jade. "Enough about me, though. I want to hear what you think of this machine, Colonel."

The brunette in question gave Guy a small smile. "Just as you'd rather not talk about your past, there are some things I wish not to talk about as well."

Cass frowned. That wasn't right. She didn't know what this thing was and if Guy didn't either, she didn't know who would. Apparently something happened while she was looking downstairs that gave Guy a reason to believe Jade knew something about the piece of fontech, but now he wouldn't even share his thoughts on the matter? What if it was important to finding Luke's memories? It wasn't right to keep that from him. "Have you… might you have seen something similar to this before, Colonel?" she asked carefully, watching him from her peripheral while facing the fon machine.

"I don't know for certain," he replied. "It doesn't seem to be functional, and I wouldn't be able to determine its use unless it was working." He turned on his heel, adjusted his glasses and smiled warmly. It seemed much too warm and she didn't like it. "We have other business here other than worrying about an old fon machine. Let's be on our way, shall we?" Without any more questions about the machine, Cass nodded in agreement, not liking his answer but unable to think of anything that would pressure him into speaking about the fon machine more.

The other side of the mysterious machine had two stone paths: one going down—the one Cass had taken—and one going up, by the ocean. This led back into the vacation home, and Luke and Anise rushed after what looked like a liger that was climbing stairwell after stairwell.

The pair disappeared onto the roof, rather far ahead of everyone else. By the time they showed up, Luke and Anise were in the claws of large birds, circling overhead. Both were dropping simultaneously. Anise fell in the middle of the roof on her face, but she recovered quickly and ran back to Ion's side. Luke was dropped off the side of the building…

Cass's heart was lodged in her throat and she ran towards the ledge, ready to jump after him. She was pretty sure that Luke couldn't swim and that drop was… she didn't even know how far down it was. He would _die._ She couldn't go back to Natalia and tell him that she let Luke die. Natalia wouldn't forgive her if she just let that happen. She didn't know if she could swim, but she'd find out to save him. She couldn't just let Natalia's trust be misplaced like that.

She reached the ledge and peered over; ignoring the faint dizziness the height gave her. There was no splash, and the water was undisturbed, but she could make out _something_ going back into the cavern. What was that and, more importantly, _did it have Luke?_

Cass wasted no more time on the roof, sprinting across it and heading back into the interior of Choral Castle. She ignored everything else, Anise's pouting, the fact that Arietta was even there, _everything_. She barely even registered the sound of someone following at her heels. Why would they want Luke? Arietta was with the God-Generals, and from what she remembered about the situation, they were here because of Ion. There was no reason she could think of for anyone wanting Luke—she didn't even think ten people knew he was in Malkuth in the first place.

The blonde didn't bother backtracking and checking any of the side rooms on her descent into the cavern. There was likely no reason to. Guy managed to overtake her, probably running even harder than she was. By the time they made it into the cove, Guy broke out into a sprint; Cass needed to put absolutely everything into her legs to keep up with him. The green haired one—maybe Largo?—was there and Luke was lying in the opaque center of the machine.

Guy unsheathed his blade and lunged at the God-General, but he was quick on his feet and jumped out of the way before getting hit. Cass turned away from the fight, focused on Luke. The machine didn't look like it was doing anything, but what did she know? Hoping it wasn't working or removing Luke from it right now wouldn't hurt him in any way, she set to work on untying him and getting him off of it. He was passed out and didn't look like he was going to wake up any time soon.

The scuffling sounds from across the room stopped and the sound of more footfalls kept getting louder, but Cass turned towards Guy. Would he be able to hold his own against a God-General?

Guy was there, unharmed by the looks of it, holding up some circular thing in triumph. The God-General leapt back at Guy and tried to land a blow, but Guy parried skillfully and delivered another slash that knock the beak mask right off of his face. It clattered to the ground and Cass narrowed her eyes, trying to overcome the distance to catch the fleeting glance she received of his face.

His hand flew up almost immediately, but there was something vaguely familiar about him. Guy looked stunned and stood there with his sword to the side, leaving a wide opening for his opponent. Using the reaction to his advantage, he took the opportunity to kick Guy in the face before scooping up his mask and running off.

Guy got to his feet quickly, and by the time he was standing the others joined the two blonds in the cavern. Cass stayed with Luke, tried to shake him awake, to no avail while the others came over to her. Jade went down to turn the fon machine off (apparently it _was_ operational) and Tear took Luke from Cass to heal him. The colonel came back up as Tear healed Guy. Luke woke up after one more healing spell.

The redhead sat up quickly and heaved a loud sigh of relief. "What the hell was that?" he mumbled, putting a hand to his head and rubbing his temple with his palm. Cassia didn't know how to answer, so she settled for helping him to his feet and asking if he felt okay. He pushed her away, told her to stop coddling him and that he was fine. If he could yell at her, she knew he was telling the truth.

Jade was back to looking at the fon machine pensively, and Ion was at his side looking the same. It clicked then, why the God-General looked familiar. It was his eyes: they were green just like his hair—just like Ion. His face looked different though, it didn't seem as youthful and cheerful as Ion was. It was harder and colder, made the solider look much older than Ion. Perhaps… they were twins? Maybe just brothers?

She didn't know, but she didn't get that good of a look at his face. Guy was much closer, he probably saw more distinguishing characteristics between the two than she was able to make out. "I got a hold of a strange fon disc, Jade. Sync was trying to take it with him," said the blond in question. He didn't seem to notice anything about Ion and the God-General—Sync, apparently. She was wrong—looking similar, so maybe it was just her? Maybe she was looking into this too much… "Do you think you'd be able to figure it out?"

Jade took the disc and flipped it around in his hand. "I should be able to," he replied, handed it back to Guy who put it safely away in a bag. "But for now let's take care of Arietta. She should still be on the roof."

Luke moaned about all the backtracking, but promptly stopped after Tear reminded him that if he didn't walk into the trap in the first place, he wouldn't have to do half of the backtracking he did now. Cass frowned; she just hoped that this would end without anyone getting gravely injured—Arietta included.

* * *

A ray of light shot down almost immediately after the first person stepped onto the roof, but what must have been years of training let Tear sidestep quickly, and in the blink of an eye she threw a dagger forward, towards the young girl that stood close to the center of the roof. The same liger Arietta brought with her at the river leapt forward, becoming a shield for the God-General—the dagger embedded itself into the monster's fur before she quickly shook it out like it was nothing.

Cassia couldn't even hear the dagger clatter to the ground before Arietta's other monster—some sort of large bird with damaged alulas—screeched loudly and began to gain altitude, ready to dive like a predator. There were suddenly so many artes cast at Arietta that Cass stood in place for a moment, not moving like she should have been, wondering exactly what she should be doing.

Going after the liger was out of the question—Tear's dagger was ineffective against her thick hide and thus so would Cass's weapons. The bird was already injured somehow, and she would rather attack that instead of Arietta. But it was up in the air, circling as if choosing the perfect target, and she wouldn't be able to reach it.

An arte landed on the bird, and it screeched in pain once again. Cass winced at the sound, but this was an opportunity she couldn't miss. It began to plummet towards the roof entrance, where the fonists had gathered to put space between them and the chaos in the center of the battle arena. Before it could get to any of them, another of Tear's daggers was thrown, grazed its wing and brought it down into Cass's range.

The wings were already damaged—it would be best to go for those first. If it couldn't fly, it shouldn't be able to retaliate. They were still unfolded, and with a kick to the beak, the entire inside of the wing was displayed for her. With a sharp exhale, Cass thrust her dagger towards the largest feathers at the bottom of the wing before swiping outwards—effectively removing nearly half of the primaries. It started to turn, sounding more enraged than in pain, and without thinking the blonde jumped backwards to avoid its beak or talons.

And into the path of a bolt of lightning.

She froze up for what seemed like an eternity, the shock taking its time running through her body. In an instant, she was thrown to the ground from the bolt but forced her body into getting up, no matter how badly she just wanted to lay there for a second.

"Cass! Three o' clock!"

Almost getting frazzled at how chaotic things were becoming, it took her longer than it should have to turn in the right direction. The liger was already pouncing at her, fangs bared, and it wouldn't end well if she tried to dodge in any direction.

Cass ducked instead of trying to avoid the liger altogether, relying solely on instincts to try and get out of the liger's path. She lurched forward, and into the dark puddle of water that Tear created. It bubbled heatedly, but it didn't hurt her like it did to the liger. Managing to roll away from the monster, Cass jumped to her feet and back a few paces, just to see Guy and Jade start focusing on the cat and drawing its attention away.

Staying on the move, she scanned the area, looking for the bird again. It shouldn't be able to fly well anymore with the damaged primaries, if at all. It was a prime target. She spotted its bright blue feathers easily, trying its hardest to fly despite clearly not being able to. With a deep breath she steeled herself, sprinting towards it and aiming for its other wing. Unlike the first one, Cass clipped this wing with ease, removing the feathers with hardly any problems. Both wings were battered—it shouldn't cause any trouble at this point.

She spun around, away from the bird, and began to run towards the liger. She was not looking good, but she was doing so much more to everyone else. Anise was in the frontlines against the liger, and Cass joined the Oracle Knight, trying to keep the liger's claws and teeth directed away from the others. The lightning wasn't much of an issue for the older woman now that she was able to see the monster attacking her—the liger would always leap backwards and begin crackling with electricity before it fired off a bolt—but Anise's Tokunaga wasn't always quick enough to get out of the way. The plush had some nasty burn marks by the end of the day.

It was a shrill cry of, "Stop! Stop hurting my sister now!" that brought Cassia to a standstill. Everything seemed to go silent and still with the order and so she glanced around, remaining tense just in case. The bird looked redder than blue at this point, lying on the ground in a heap, and Cass finally brought her attention to the God-General that started this whole thing. Her face was already darkening with whatever damage was brought upon her, and red stains were all over the roof around her. Luke and Guy were the closest to her, but they didn't make a move before she collapsed onto the ground.

The liger roared out, weaker than she sounded before, before she followed in suit, swaying on injured paws and collapsing where she stood. It didn't look like she was breathing any more.

With the fall of the monster, Cass let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and relaxed her shoulders, unarming herself quickly. The length of the fight was much longer than Cass was used to seeing. Her practices lasted a while, maybe longer than this, but the intensity of fighting with Arietta put a lot of extra stress on her. She felt as exhausted as she probably looked and Luke in particular looked about the same. Jade took the opportunity once again to go after an unarmed girl, but Cass couldn't bring herself to physically oppose the colonel. She opened her mouth, ready to try and say something, _anything_ that would keep him from outright killing her, but Ion was quick to defend Arietta's life, saying he would take her back to the Order of Lorelei in Daath, where she'd be tried for her crimes and punished. Cassia was glad that the Fon Master acted so quickly to keep the girl alive because she knew there was another way to deal with her that didn't end in her death. It wasn't necessary like Jade wanted to believe.

Van showed up once Jade put his spear away and he took Arietta with him, saying he'd be the one to bring the God-General to Daath. A coach was outside Choral Castle for everyone to take back to Kaitzur Naval Port, and Luke jumped at the opportunity to not walk, despite Ion's obvious desire to explore Choral Castle a little more. Cass had to agree with Luke on this; she didn't want to stay in this place any longer than she needed to. It didn't help Luke and there was no reason she would want to stay. She just wanted to get him home to Natalia was quickly and safely as she could.


	11. Skyline's End

**Disclaimer: **Tales of the Abyss and all characters therein do not belong to me. That honor goes to Namco Bandai. This story is for fun only, and I do not profit from it.

* * *

**Nederim**

Chapter 11 / Skyline's End

_"Followed our wind to shape the course; had a blueprint, we are in mid ocean." – Edenbridge_

* * *

_Natalia:_

_I hope this letter finds you well. I apologice for the lack of updates, but rest assvred that Luke and I are vnharmed and should be in Baticul earli Gnome Decan. We will be leaving __C__aitzur Naval Port tomorrow, Undine Decan 42._

Cassia tapped the pen against the paper a few times, wondering if there was anything else she should put in the letter. Jade told her that it was fine for her to write letters to the princess so long as the mission was not mentioned, as it was top secret. She didn't want to bring down Natalia's hopes on Luke's memories or worry her about what happened at Choral Castle, so she opted to leave that out. If she asked about specifics, then Cass would inform her. Figuring that was good enough, she wrote her name carefully at the bottom of the paper and left it with the innkeeper, who said he'd send it off first thing.

There was no shopping to be done in the port, which left Cass with nothing to do aside for go into the inn's room and sleep the rest of the day away. They'd leave for Chesedonia in the morning once the ship was repaired, and from there they would be on the final leg of their journey to the capital. She was almost sad for it all to be over. Malkuth was certainly beautiful, and she spent more time out in the fields than she had in the three years she was in Baticul. Early in the morning they boarded the ferry; the boat ride being as uneventful as the one she took there so many weeks ago.

* * *

Cass didn't pay much attention to anything that was going on around her as they made their way to the Kimlascan side of Chesedonia. She was too busy trying to look at everything, thinking that maybe she would see something and remember something. Instead, all she did was bump into a few shoppers and get yelled at while she tried to apologize. Apparently Luke almost lost his wallet to a group of theives, but luckily Tear was paying attention to the whole thing, unlike Cass (who was solely here to find and watch over him) who didn't notice until people began to shout. The trio of thieves identified themselves as the Dark Wings—supposedly that was supposed to mean something to Cass but she had never heard the name until now—before they ran away. Aside from Cass's absentmindedness and Luke's near robbery, they crossed the Malkuth border into the trade city and entered Kimlasca safely and without incident.

The ferry wasn't quite ready to leave, so the group had an hour. Jade suggested they stop by Astor's, the leader of the Merchant Guild who acted as a sort of mayor over the city, to get the fon disc from Choral Castle analyzed. There wasn't much else to do aside from shop (which no one but Anise seemed to want to do), so everyone went into the large mansion.

It wasn't as difficult to meet with Astor as Cassia would have thought. Princess Natalia was busy throughout the day, with only a few hours every other day to spend however she wished. She was only the princess too—while Cass didn't know much about His Highness's days, she knew that he had to fit in twice as many appointments as his daughter did. Despite being a somewhat placebo mayor for the trading city, he apparently had no other appointments to attend to and they were seen just a few minutes after taking their seats in the waiting area.

Astor was a nice, cheerful gentleman that clearly loved not only his citizens, but anyone that would happen to travel through Chesedonia without ill intentions. He already knew Jade, but made sure to engage in pleasantries with the others in the group, offering drinks and whatnot, before getting down to business. At the colonel's behest, Guy handed over the fon disc, and Astor looked it over quickly, before handing it off to one of the men stationed in the room. The nameless man carried it through a door as Astor said, "It'll take some time, but please make yourselves comfortable." And so they did.

The others all engaged in some sort of conversation for at least a few minutes, but Cass spent the time thinking about nothing and completely ignoring those around her. She thought she heard her name a few times, but without even considering that she dismissed to idea and let her mind drift aimlessly in a sea of blank thoughts. After some amount of the time door opened loudly and Cass jumped, earning a not-so-subtle giggle from Anise. The results were handed over in a rather large binder, and so they headed to the Kimlascan-side port.

A soldier in the familiar red armor of Kimlasca greeted them as the crossed over, but that relief of being back in her "home" country was cut short when Sync came out of nowhere, went straight for Guy. The swordsman was able to jump out of the way before Sync landed a hit, managed to keep a hold on the fon disc analysis. The blond only received a small cut on his arm from the attack, and he lost the fon disc itself, but apparently that wasn't important anymore. Guy made a dash for the port, and everyone else followed right behind, wanting to get out of the port before the God-General could get an opportunity to steal the analysis from them. Sync chased them to the port, but thanks to Luke's rudeness, they got the ship out of the port before Sync was able to get on.

They all sat together inside of the ferry's largest room, which looked like it was made for meetings. Tear didn't bother healing the cut Guy received—it was small and shallow and not really worth the effort to heal. Jade skimmed the documents that Guy saved, and Cass was eager to hear about what was on them. It would answer the question of the mysterious machine and she was curious as to why Luke was on it.

After a moment, Jade read the results of the fon disc out loud. "It's isofon research," he announced, red eyes moving rapidly over the papers. Then he listed off a bunch of numbers. "This is Lorelei's fonon frequency."

"Iso… fon?" Cass repeated. That didn't sound familiar at all.

Tear explained. "Lorelei is the name for the aggregate sentience of the Seventh Fonon—sound. Its existence is still hypothetical, unlike the other six fonons. Fonon frequencies are like fingerprints: no two frequencies are the same." Cass nodded to herself. She knew that. "Isofons are two entities that have the exact same fonon frequency. These don't exist unless created artificially."

…

She_ knew_ that?

Everything Tear said about Lorelei and fonon frequencies was familiar, like she heard it before somewhere. But she knew Luke's tutors never said anything about it before, not even when they learned about fonology. Was it something she learned… from her father? Or the other two people she remembered? Or someone else she didn't remember yet? She wanted to ask about it, but had no idea what to even say. What question would she even be able to ask when Tear explained so succinctly?

"The fomicry experiments that were conducted a few years ago were able to create isofons. It's kind of like a copy machine, isn't it, Colonel?" Anise asked.

Jade shook his head, eyes remaining on the papers. "No, replicas created through fomicry are mere imitations. They may look identical, but the fonon frequency is different."

"I have… a question," Cass stated, trying to say something before people changed the subject to something different.

There was a long pause. "Jeez, if you have a question, just ask it already," Luke said.

She was still trying to think of a question. She opened her mouth and then closed it, once, twice. Anise shot her a look that might have been a mix between amusement and concern but Cass couldn't really tell. "Are you okay? Cass?"

"What? Yes, I'm… okay. Nevermind about the question. My apologies."

The conversation ended shortly after, so Cass decided to leave the room and head up to the deck. She liked being on boats, she decided. It was quiet and she was surrounded by the ocean. It was calming, and the fact that she was alone up here meant that she could think without being bothered by anyone. Throwing caution to the wind, she decided to sit on the railing and stare out.

A prickle of déjà vu shot through her as she looked out at the never-ending blue expanse, and she wondered if she maybe lived close to the ocean before she lost her memory. It felt sort of familiar, just staring out at the water and thinking, and she had never done it before while she was in Baticul.

This trip certainly brought up more of her past that she would have initially thought. She had a dream that might have actually been a memory—one of the few she had that she could actually make out sentences and faces and _remember_ once she woke up. Then there were little bits and pieces of information that were familiar. Everything about Lorelei and fonon frequencies, she _knew_ it in the same way she knew that language; at a deep, intrinsic level as if she was born with that knowledge. Cass knew it better than she knew her own _name_, it was something she never forgot.

But why? She wasn't a fonist, Imri told her she couldn't have been before she got amnesia what with the state of her fon slots. Why was it so important to her past? Maybe she was a researcher? She didn't feel like she was smart enough to be in that kind of field, even with her memory loss.

She couldn't come up with an answer that struck her as more true than any other theory, and that bothered her. She was fine without remembering—she was making new memories—but now that her previously hidden past was coming back up, she didn't want to just go back into a position of not caring. She was on the cusp of knowing who she was, she could feel it. It was closer than it ever was before and she wanted to grab hold of the past she had nearly given up on ever having again.

She needed paper. Her thoughts were becoming jumbled in her head and she wasn't able to organize them. But the chances of her being able to find enough paper to put her thoughts into something that even resembled an organized mess was slim. It would be the first thing she would do on her own time once she returned to Baticul.

Guy joined her out on deck after a while. She asked him about the analysis, if he knew how it related to the fon machine it was taken from. He shrugged and said that he figured it was something used to try and create isofons. She nodded, only half in the conversation. Whatever the God-Generals were doing with that machine didn't seem like it worked, so she didn't want to put too much thought into it. He didn't mention anything about Sync either, so Cass didn't bring it up. When he asked her if she remembered anything from Chesedonia, Cass almost asked him what he meant. It was close to where she was found but it didn't help her at all, and she told him that much.

"Are you doing okay, though?" he asked. Cass furrowed her brows at him and tilted her head, not really understanding why he was asking that. "You just seemed sort of out of it recently. Back at Astor's and in the meeting hall."

She remained silent for a moment. There wasn't anything new, and she didn't really see the point in making him worry when there weren't any new developments in her problem. "I was clearing my thoughts back in Chesedonia. I apologize if you were trying to speak with me. And…" she shrugged halfheartedly, "I knew about fonon frequencies and Lorelei. I'm not sure how—we didn't learn about those subjects."

"Well, hey, that's something!" he replied, flashing a bright grin. "It might not seem like something right now, but you've been making a lot of progress recently. That information could be really helpful down the line."

Cassia shrugged again, "That is true," she acknowledged, turning back to the sea. After a moment, she asked, "You know a lot about vacation spots, correct?"

He looked curious but nodded. "Yeah, I like reading about them. Why?"

"Do you know of a place by the ocean with… relatively high elevation?"

Guy put a gloved hand to his chin and frowned in thought. She had asked a similar question once before, before she knew her name, but even if it was just sensations like the salty wind on her face that was familiar, it was still something that might help. She didn't normally like to bother people with her memory problems, but Guy seemed more than willing to help piece things together with her and they wouldn't have much to do on the ferry anyway.

"Maybe Radessia, by the Meggiora Highlands, or the northern coasts of Padamiya, near Daath?" he suggested. "Hey, you think that you could be from Daath? That's where the Order of Lorelei is. Yulia's teachings are really prevalent there, so it would make sense that you would know about Lorelei."

Cass hummed thoughtfully. "That is possible… I would likely need to go there to see for myself."

Guy laughed a little in response. "Might be a bit hard to get that much vacation time from Her Majesty, though. Sylvana has some mountains, too, but I think the coasts are mostly ice, not water."

"Ice?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Sylvana is the northernmost continent, so it's pretty much always covered in snow and ice. Does that ring any bells?"

She looked at him, confused for a second. The ferry rocked violently right as she opened her mouth to answer and Cass nearly fell off of the railing and into the water.

Guy looked like he almost had to consider getting close and helping her back up, but luckily he didn't need to when she gripped tightly onto the railing. "Something must be attacking! Let's go find the others."

The pair met up with the rest of the group on the way below deck. They were heading up, so nothing was wrong down there, so they rushed back up to see find out what happened. It was a God-General Cass had only seen briefly, but despite not knowing much about him, she remained on guard. She knew now that, when it came to the God-Generals, appearances could be deceiving.

The white haired man in the floating armchair cackled as they all appeared at the front of the boat. He spread his arms out in a grand gesture, the sun glinting maliciously off of his glasses. His large, open-lipped grin had a mad quality to it, and the collar that Cass at first thought looked silly somehow didn't seem quite so amusing now. "Listen, you ignorant savages, and you shall hear my beautiful name!" The way he spoke seemed really over the top, and Cass raised an eyebrow at him dubiously. "_I _am the most graceful member of the Six God-Generals, the one and only, Dist the—"

"Well if it isn't Dist the Runny!" Jade finished.

The man slammed a fist onto the armrest of his chair, nearly snarling at Jade. "The Rose!" he yelled. "R-O-S-E, rose! Dist the Rose!"

"You mean Dist the Reaper," Anise corrected.

Dist grimaced. "I refuse to accept that name! It's rose. ROSE!"

Cassia crossed her arms and frowned up at him. The sun made it difficult for her to look at that angle. "Is there a problem with Reaper?" she asked. "It has more presence than Rose. And it seems more befitting for a God-General."

"No one asked you, you little-!"

"I have to disagree with you, Cass," Jade interrupted Dist again, this time completely ignoring him. She turned her head to look at the colonel and could hear the man in the floating chair growl from his spot. "It may not sound as intimidating, but Runny is the most suitable title for him."

"Could we get back on point here, guys?" Luke asked, exasperated. "How do you know him?"

"I'm in the Oracle Knights," Anise answered, "so… But how do you know him, Colonel?"

Dist flipped his hair and spoke in the place of Jade. "I, the genius Dist, once counted the duplicitous snake Jade amongst my friends."

Cass tilted her head to look at the snake in question. Dist didn't really seem like… someone Jade would associate with. Then again, what did she know?

Jade fixed his glasses and smirked. "Which Jade is that? I don't know any Jades with such poor taste in friends." Dist started to snarl again, but Jade was quick to replace the smirk with an easy grin, clicking his tongue in disapproving 'tsk' sounds. "Careful now," the colonel chastised. "You know how your nose runs when you get mad."

Dist threw an arm out dramatically. "Enough of this! Now, hand over the fon disc data."

Jade raised it with a smile. Dist swooped down and grabbed it out of Jade's hands, started to gloat only to halt once the man in blue informed the God-General he had already memorized its contents. Dist's face turned bright red and his features twisted in anger. After digging through the interior of his jacket, Dist pulled out a small fon machine. Pressing the button on it, he summoned a large robot, causing the deck to shake from the sudden weight.

Despite its intimidating size, it short circuited quickly when massive drops of water from Jade fell down on it.

Dist must not have thought that through.

* * *

Dist ran off once his machine was destroyed. To be honest, Cassia didn't really know if he was a God-General and had to ask Anise and Tear to confirm it. Compared to Arietta and Sync, Dist didn't really seem to fit the mold they created for the title, but apparently he did.

The ferry arrived in Baticul's port shortly after that… confrontation. General Cecille and Commander Goldberg greeted the group at the harbor, introduced themselves, and everyone else did the same. As Jade introduced himself, General Cecille's expression changed into one of shock. "You're _the_ Jade Curtiss…?!"

"You taught me a painful lesson in our battle in northern Chesedonia, General Cecille," he said pleasantly.

Cass inhaled sharply as the two continued to talk about the battle. This was the same General Cecille that helped Natalia bring her to Baticul? And Cass hadn't even said anything, not to thank her or anything. If it wasn't for Cecille's and Natalia's compassion, she would have been dead so long ago. And Jade was there, too? She didn't know that. He said that Malkuth didn't have the technology to give people amnesia, but that didn't mean he wasn't the reason she suffered from it.

"…Then I shall send General Cecille to inform His Grace, Duke Fabre. If you would, General Cecille."

Cecille nodded. "Yes, sir," she said and began to walk away.

Cass frowned. She didn't even say anything! Pursing her lips, she turned towards everyone, bowed slightly. "I apologize," she said, straightening back up. "I have to… attend to something now that I am back… It's been a pleasure." It was a poor good bye, but some things were more important than a proper one. Most of the people she was with she would likely see in these next few days around the castle, given their mission.

"Excuse me, General Cecille!" Cass called out, rushing out to the aircar the woman was standing in. It hadn't moved yet, and Cass had enough time to enter it before it began its ascension to the top tier of the city.

"You were with Luke and Colonel Curtiss, weren't you?" General Cecille asked. "Is something the matter?"

Cass nodded. "I was, but… I don't know if you remember," she started, "but my name is Cassia Brightwing. You helped Princess Natalia save my life after the Battle of Northern Chesedonia. I wanted to thank you." She clasped her hands in front of her and bowed deeply to the general.

"Ah, so you're the girl Captain Carnelian has been training," she said. "There's no need to thank me. Any soldier would have done the same."

Cass disagreed, but didn't do so out loud. She didn't think Jade would have helped her if he was the one to find her three years ago. "Regardless, I am incredibly grateful. And I apologize for taking so long to thank you in person." There was a short pause, before Cass chose to fill it again. "Imri—Captain Carnelian has done a wonderful job training me. Did you instruct him?"

The general laughed softly. "Hardly. Of course he went through basic military exercises, but he seems to prefer to fight in the way his father taught him."

Cassia nodded again. "I see. Do you know if he's busy at the moment? I was hoping to thank him after I report to Her Highness. I wouldn't want to disrupt him if he is otherwise occupied."

"Unfortunately, I don't," Cecille replied. "The captain hasn't been in the capital for a bit over a month now. Other duties to attend to."

Cass didn't bother asking what he was doing or where he was now, figuring that it wasn't necessary for her to know. If he wouldn't be returning for a while, she could always ask Natalia if she could know where he was, so they could exchange letters. Once more, the attendant thanked the general for her help, but Cecille once again waved off her words. Before she knew it, the aircar arrived at the top tier of the city and the general and Cassia went their separate ways. Cass hurried to the maid quarters for her uniform before she went to find Natalia. The uniform probably wasn't necessary considering she just arrived, but it was more of a force of habit than anything else.

She wasn't at the archery range like she usually would be at this time, but Cass didn't waste any time finding one of her coworkers that would hopefully know the princess's whereabouts. She was cleaning the princess's room like Cassia usually would be doing, and she turned around, ready to yell at the intruder for barging in.

Amber's bright eyes widened, and in a flash her arms wrapped around Cass's body and she rubbed her dark face against the older woman's. She winced, not liking the feeling. "Cassia! You're finally back!" Amber pulled back sharply, narrowing her eyes again and grimacing, holding Cass at an arm's length. "And you smell awful! What have you been doing? Rolling around with rappigs? You're messing up your uniform by wearing it when you smell like a trash can."

It wasn't as if Cass didn't have more uniforms to wear, and she personally didn't think she smelled _too _bad, but she decided to leave that subject alone and let Amber win. "I apologize; it was a force of habit. I'll clean up when I have the opportunity." And who knew when that would be? She had to find Natalia, get her thoughts in order, and maybe do some of her old duties around the castle. Surely she could be of some assistance somewhere. "Amber, do you know where Her Highness is? I have to report to her about Luke's… disappearance."

Amber wrinkled her nose. "You're going to see her smelling like _that?_"

Cassia blinked. "I'll… keep my distance. However, my filthiness is not of import—informing her about her fiancé comes first, wouldn't you agree?"

The blonde's attempt to console her coworker didn't seem to work, and the maid's frown deepened. But even she would be able to ignore propriety if it was urgent news. And, to Natalia, this was urgent news. "Promise to clean yourself right away. I won't be able to sleep at night if you smell like that." When Cass simply nodded, Amber sighed dramatically, "Her Highness is taking care of Duchess Fabre. She fell ill when the Young Master vanished."

Cass nodded again. "Thank you, Amber. I will clean myself as soon as I have the time." Without another word, Natalia's attendant left the room, ignoring Amber's yells of "Yeah! You better! Or else Baticul will turn into the cesspool you smell like!" After arriving , the maids at Fabre Manor eventually managed to bring Natalia to Cass and they went outside to speak in relative privacy.

"Cassia! I did not expect you to see me so soon after your arrival," Natalia said. "Though I would have thought you would have sent more letters. You should have kept me more informed instead of just a few messages!" she paused. "Did everything go smoothly after your final letter?"

Cass nodded and began to give Natalia a more detailed report of these last three months. She left out some things she knew would worry the princess, such as Luke's short kidnapping at Choral Castle, but for the most part told her everything, including the reason for Jade's presence here. It was the first Natalia had heard of a possible peace treaty, but she was confident that her father was already aware.

She listened carefully to Cass's debriefing before she excused herself to attend to Lady Suzanne. The blonde hoped she would feel better soon.

At Amber's request, Cassia cleaned herself before returning to her room for her journal. Her friend stopped by, informed her that, since no one knew exactly when she would be back, she didn't have any specific tasks for the next week like she normally did. There was just typical duties she had to take care of for now, and that meant most of her time was to herself for the next few days. It would certainly be a nice way to adjust back into her normal life.

When it came to organizing her thoughts about isofons and fonon frequencies and Lorelei, it took much more effort than she initially thought it would. After pages upon pages of scribbling in multiple languages, she finally came to this 'conclusion':

_Fonon frequenci: unique trait _

_Isofon: exact duplication; same fonon frequenci _

_Aggregate sentience: manifestation of fonon_

_?_

And she could not, for the life of her, figure out how these things tied together. No matter how long she stared at the paper, trying to come up with some connection, nothing happened. She couldn't even think of _how_ she knew some of these things. It didn't make sense and she was frustrated and downtrodden about hitting another wall when she was so close. At least, she figured she had to be. There just wasn't anything she could do at this point, though. Maybe if she waited a little before thinking about it again there would be some sort of obvious connection.

* * *

One day passed after she returned to Baticul. No matter how much time she spent wandering the halls of the castle and moving between Fabre manor and the castle, Cass didn't catch sight of any of the people she met in Malkuth. She saw Guy and Luke briefly, but Ion, Anise, and Jade were nowhere to be seen. Cass thought that Tear would have already left the city to accomplish that mission she was on, and the other members of the Order and the Malkuth colonel would likely leave within a few days. She was a little disappointed that she left them so quickly; that wasn't a proper goodbye and Cass felt they all deserved better than the poor excuse for a farewell she gave. There wasn't anything she could do now though, and if she was good at anything, it was putting her past behind her (at least that was her strong point before memories started to tease her, luring her into a sense of complacency, as if her past would be revealed at any moment).

The day of easing back into her routine was rather calm, especially compared to the last few weeks of adventure and everything that was happening before she left Baticul, until a furious Natalia showed up when she was supposed to be busy.

"I have another task for you, Cassia," she announced while Cass was picking up the princess's room. She shifted all the objects into her arms as she straightened up, taking care not to drop anything.

"How may I assist you?" she asked.

"Father won't allow me to travel with Luke to Akzeriuth!" she explained. Cass wasn't aware that there were plans for her fiancé to go somewhere outside of the manor. Had his parents and His Majesty finally decided to let him leave? "I cannot think of a better way to show that the Kingdom of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear wishes to form this treaty than its princess helping those Malkuthians in need."

So it was about the peace treaty? Why was Luke going? Cass asked as much and Natalia told her Luke was going to be a goodwill ambassador to the country. Akzeriuth, a small mining down in eastern Malkuth was experiencing trouble with a miasma and needed assistance evacuating to Kaitzur.

"I still… do not understand how I can help you with this," Cass told her uneasily. She was rather upset and Cass hoped that the princess's mood wouldn't worsen.

"I was able to convince Father and the others to allow you to travel with the group in my stead, as my representative."

Cass blinked at her. "Isn't that… what Luke is?"

Natalia waved off her question. "That is not of import. What is important is that I managed to involve you. After all, I will not be able to join the cause without your assistance."

The maid opened her mouth to reply then closed it again. "I don't understand."

"You will be leaving in two days' time. Before you exit the city, you _must_ convince everyone to travel through an old factory near the main entrance to Baticul, rather than going through the gate. I will be waiting there, and from then you will help me become a member of the group."


	12. The Gathering

**Disclaimer: **Tales of the Abyss and all characters therein do not belong to me. That honor goes to Namco Bandai. This story is for fun only, and I do not profit from it.

* * *

**Nederim**

Chapter 12 / The Gathering

_"What daylight wants to show me at night appears to be insane." - Delain_

* * *

They met up in front of the castle around noon.

Cass met the whole group then, which consisted of Luke, Guy, Van, Jade, and Tear. She was glad to see Tear, and politely regarded the colonel since she still felt a bit wary of him. She understood why Ion and Anise weren't there—it would be risky to bring the Fon Master to a place like Akzeriuth if it was as bad as Natalia told her—but she still wished she could have seen them again.

The only ones that were actually a part of this mission were Cassia and the men, though. Tear explained that Grand Maestro Mohs's orders intertwined with Malkuth's plea for aid, and she was allowed to join. Van would be going a different route to attempt to throw off members of the Grand Maestro faction and keep them from interfering. Jade had things to attend to before they were able to set off, said to meet him at the city's main exit before Cass was able to say anything. As he went to finish what he needed to Luke decided to inform his mother about how he was going to be an ambassador of good-will.

The other four waited patiently outside of the manor for Luke to return, and Cass shifted back on forth from her heels to her toes anxiously. "Pardon me…" she said softly. It would probably be best for her to bring this up now, while Luke wasn't here. He wouldn't want to make this many more difficult for himself. "Wouldn't it be wise to… not go through the main exit of Baticul? I would think that, if people wanted to stop us, they would set out people to watch the main ways out of the city…"

"It's a valid concern, Cass," Van acknowledged, "but that's why I'm going to act as a diversion. If members of the Grand Maestro faction see me leaving from the port, they'll withdraw troops from the main gate. There shouldn't be anything to worry about." The commandant left moments later.

The blonde frowned and looked at her boots. Their plan was already good and Natalia left early in the morning for the old factory. If she couldn't do anything, then Natalia would be waiting for who knows how long. Cass couldn't just _fail_ at changing their path. She tried once more when Luke came back, but she was mostly ignored. This wasn't going well.

They ran into Anise at the military level of the city and she told them frantically that Ion was missing. She said that he was taken away by those thieves they ran into in Chesedonia—the Dark Wings—and she figured they must be working with the Oracle Knights. Van was already gone, the port probably closed after his ship left, and according to the Fon Master Guardian the Six God-Generals were stationed right outside the path they were supposed to take.

Cass perked up at that news, even though she shouldn't. Ion was kidnapped, and she was happy because it meant that she could direct everyone to the abandoned factory. She squashed her small feeling of success as soon as she recognized it. Cass released her lower lip from her teeth. "In an older part of the city, there's an abandoned factory that leads out of Baticul," she started. "According to Natalia, the aircar to it should still work… she, she wanted to make plans to renovate the area."

Anise came along with the ambassadors to find Ion—she needed to get out of the city and the factory seemed to be the only way out at the moment. Jade found them on the lower tier of the city, moving away from the entrance since he discovered the God-Generals blocking the path. With Guy's help they found the aircar to the old factory. The vehicle was old and rusted and, to be quite honest, Cass was surprised it worked at all. It travelled down the line slowly, creaking noisily under everyone's weight and Cass was hoping it would reach its destination soon. From there, she'd need to find Natalia because she had no clue if the princess was inside of the factory or not.

If Cass thought Choral Castle was creepy, it was nothing compared to the factory. The broken stone walls of the vacation home allowed small rays of light to filter inside and there were a few dimly lit sconces on the walls. Not to mention Choral Castle would have looked inviting if it was cleaned up.

There was no light in the abandoned factory. The few holes in the high ceiling did nothing to light up the metal path they were walking down. Tear took the lead, using fonons to light up the tip of her staff, giving the party a small amount of light. Shrieks of bats filled the air as they travelled on the rafters that groaned loudly with everyone's combined weight. Where was Natalia? Was she unharmed?

They heard footsteps coming toward them as a dark, humanesque shadow drifted closer. Weapons were drawn, but at the sound of the person's voice most were put away.

Her arms were crossed over her chest as she walked into the dim glow of Tear's staff, the light casting eerie shadows upon her smug expression. She wore her archery clothes and something that must have been her bow was looped around her shoulder.

"Natalia? What are you doing here?" Luke asked, before pausing to take in his fiancée's appearance. "And why are you dressed like that?"

"Malkuth and Kimlasca are about to make peace. As a princess, I cannot allow myself to sit idly and wait," Natalia answered indignantly.

Luke just scoffed. "Are you stupid? The outside world is no place for a spoiled little girl like you. You'll just end up getting in our way."

Natalia's green eyes narrowed slightly. "Three years ago, I paid a visit to encourage the troops at the battle in northern Chesedonia. I'm prepared for battle."

"Her healing artes saved my life as well," Cass brought up, vouching for her friend.

"Raising morale and fighting are completely different things," Anise put in; the attendant could hear the smile in her voice. "You're better off staying behind."

Tear agreed and so did Guy. And with each comment Natalia's expression was becoming more and more sour. "Silence!" the princess commanded before another word could be said in favor of her going back to the castle. "I am a master of Lanvaldear-style archery! I'm also a studied healer. I will certainly be of more use in battle than these uncivil Oracle Knights, or a mere servant." She paused, and Cass couldn't believe how much those words stung her. "Luke, if you think I should also return to the castle, I'll make sure our fathers know about 'you-know-what.'"

Luke gave her a wary glance. "What are you talking about?"

"I overheard you talking to Dorian General Grants beneath the castle—" Before she could finish, Luke surged forward and grabbed her arm, dragging Natalia away from the group so they wouldn't be able to overhear their conversation. From the movements she could see, it looked rather heated from Luke's side.

"Well, now, this is getting fun," Jade said cheerily.

That wasn't a word that Cass would have chosen.

Tear just sighed and shook her head.

"If I may vouch for Natalia?" Cass asked, deciding to fill the silence for the sake of the princess. No one objected. "She saved my life at the Battle of Northern Chesedonia… so I know from experience that she is an experienced Seventh Fonist. She would help Tear. I have seen her practice her archery as well. She's quite skilled."

"This is why you didn't want to use the main gate, isn't it?" Guy accused. Cass could only nod.

It was completely obvious at this point.

Eventually, Luke and Natalia came back under the glow of Tear's staff. Natalia looked smug again and Luke looked annoyed. "I've decided that Natalia should come with us," the redhead announced. No one looked particular glad about the decision aside from the princess and her attendant.

Natalia didn't ease into the group, as much as she appeared to be trying to. She said that she didn't want to be called by her title, so citizens wouldn't know that she was the princess, but she didn't try talking like a commoner. Despite wanting to appear to be the same class as everyone else, Natalia didn't stop trying to order people around as if they were her servants. Guy and Cass were used to this, and Luke was very vocal about not listening to her. Tear seemed to ignore most of the princess's request to hurry, Jade seemed to think everything was hilarious and Anise was becoming very annoyed.

"Jeez, Luke, Cass, how do you _deal_ with her all day long?" the teen complained. Her voice echoed off of the walls. "Someone really needs to remove the stick from her—"

"Anise." Tear's voice was firm. She sounded exhausted.

Natalia spun on her heel and glared at the younger girl, nearly making Jade bump into her. "How vulgar! Perhaps this Oracle Knight should have been left in Baticul to take lessons in etiquette."

Anise giggled sweetly. "If you pay for them! I'm sure my _darling Luke_ would love the company and cooking of cute, little me~!" She latched onto the noble in question's arm and giggled again. Natalia was seething.

Cass stepped forward quickly, maneuvering around Jade and to the princess. "Natalia," she said lightly, putting her hands on Natalia's shoulders and turning her around. With a gentle push, Cass tried to make her friend start walking again. "Let's hurry, please… I don't like it here."

"I bet I know something that could happen that would make you like this place more, Cass!" Anise's voice wavered in pitch like she was singing. Cass ignored her but Natalia became stubborn.

Natalia stayed rooted in place. Opening her mouth to make a retort, Cass did something she never did before and cut her off. "Natalia, you remember how I feel about fon machines, correct?" she asked quietly, barely above a whisper. She told her about it a few times, when Natalia had asked how Cass felt about Baticul. She didn't really like the city. While it was beautiful in its own right, it was all artificial and unnatural and Cass wasn't able to relax completely while being in such an urban area. Fon machines made her feel the same way.

The princess closed her eyes and took a deep breath, releasing it slowly before hurrying forward, out of the soft glow Tear's staff provided. Not very wise since the metal paths they were using could turn sharply at any moment, but at least the argument stopped. "Stop dawdling!" Natalia ordered, voice echoing in the distance.

Some barrels of old oil were left in various rooms, and those helped everyone out immensely. Mieu would light the oil, and the fire would brighten up most of the room.

Eventually Guy was able to get a small aircar working which would take the seven to the exit of this place. Cass wrinkled her nose as it first began its descent but, the lower it went, the more overwhelming to stench of grease became.

The horrible smell became strong when its owner landed in front of them—nearly crushing Natalia if Tear hadn't shove her out of harm's way. Tear, Anise, and Jade quickly began to cast in the background, while Guy lunged forward with Luke and Cass following behind a second later. Tuning out the fon verses being recited by the fonists, she ran up and began a roundhouse kick, about to follow it up with a forward thrust of her blade, but she lost her balance as the monster started moving, almost cutting herself as she tried to hop along with it.

Her leg, from the middle of her boot to her toes, was stuck in its gel-like body. Cass looked around; saw Guy and Luke standing conspicuously in front of the monster without their swords. Were they stuck? They must be stuck. She should have invested in a weapon that _wasn't_ her body or attached to her.

"Hey, casters!" Luke shouted, jumping out of the way from a swipe of one of the monster's many legs. "Get rid of this crap! We can't hit it if our weapons get stuck!"

"Stay focused, Luke," Guy told him. He stayed close to the noble, as if he was trying to herd the redhead in the right direction to avoid getting hurt. Louder, he directed towards the fonists: "Try the Fifth Fonon! I think the gel might be flammable!"

What? No! "Do _not_ use the Fifth Fonon!" Cass demanded. "My leg is stuck!"

"What the hell, Cass?! _Seriously?!_"

She would have glared at him if she could see him and still concentrate on hopping along with the monster. She settled for cursing at him. "You _know_ that I kick when I'm in a fight!"

"Stop fighting!" Natalia commanded. "Tear, focus on the offensive."

Tear nodded, "Roger," she said before she began to sing fonic hymns. Jade went through his array of spells, switching from one fonons type to another (avoiding the fifth, much to Cassia's gratefulness), trying to find its weakness—it had none—before he stuck with casting the wind spells he had. Anise's and Tear's spells didn't have an overwhelming effect on it either, but the steady stream of magic eventually whittled away its gooey defenses into nothing, releasing the blonde from its grip. The sound of something clattering to the ground was hardly heard as Anise jumped forward into the fray with Tokunaga, helping Luke, Cass, and Guy with keep the spider permanently stunned with the help of Natalia at range.

It couldn't do anything to fight back. It was as good as dead.

When the spider gave its final twitch, the greasy smell that accompanied it faded away. Cass caught her breath and Natalia was the first to speak up by thanking Tear for pushing her out of the way. Jade hypothesized that this thing was a normal spider at first, but it had mutated due to fonon activity and a contamination in the oil it was feeding on.

Cass looked back at the corpse, ignoring the rest of the conversation that was going on. So the spider wasn't like this at first? People destroyed its first home, made it adjust to this cold, metal prison, completely changing how it was? Abandoned this place and more or less forced a change in diet onto the poor thing? Made it mutate into an aggressive monster?

It couldn't be a process that happened quickly—this transformation had to take a long time for the spider to become so… horrific. And it was all because of fonon technology. No wonder she didn't like anything more than fontech blueprints. Technology just… destroyed everything. This place had to be the product of nightmares—no wonder she wanted to leave the factory as quickly as possible. It was what she imagined hell to be like, warping something pure and innocent into a demonic, bloodthirsty creature. Blocking out the sunlight and leaving the world cold and desolate. Cass's desire to leave the factory just increased tenfold. She _needed_ to get out of this place as soon as she could.

* * *

Cass breathed a sigh of relief the moment a stream of light filtered into the building. It was so bright compared to the interior of the factory, and she was almost beginning to worry that she would never see the light of day again. Yes, it might not have been the bright, midday sunlight that she loved, but it was natural and accompanied by the sounds of a gentle drizzle. Following the light, the seven found the exit—a large, open door with a single ladder than led to the ground level. They took turns making their way to the grassy field below, taking their time climbing down the shifty ladder. By the time only three people had made it on the ground, the shower turned into a downpour, creating a thick wall of fog around them.

But through the mist, the Tartarus was barely visible.

With everyone on the ground, they didn't even need to exchange words for them all to be on the same page: if the Tartarus was here, so too must the God-Generals. And if they took Ion, this would be the time to get him back.

The fog cleared slightly the closer the group got to the landship, and Cass could make out a small green shape at the foot of the Tartarus. Luke was the first to react—rushing forward and ignoring all the soldiers that were around. He ran at Asch—the one closest to the Fon Master, unsheathing his sword and swinging wildly at the redheaded Oracle Knight. The God-General reacted instantly, drawing his own blade and parrying, immediately pushing Luke back. The noble stumbled and almost lost his balance, but remained standing. Luke never went in for another attack, even as Guy and Anise rushed forward to help. He just stood there, looking dazed, while the rest of the soldiers, Sync, and Asch herded Ion and everyone on board the Tartarus.

The landship sped off into the horizon, but Luke never broke out of the daze he was in until Guy reached his side. The redhead collapsed to his hands and knees the moment his friend was at his side, and Cass and the others joined them as soon as they could.

"Luke, are you all right?" Guy asked, getting on the same level as his friend. Luke's eyes were wide, his face pale, and he looked like he was going to be sick.

He was and before Luke could answer his friend he coughed violently, heaving the contents of his stomach onto the grass beside him. Natalia immediately was at his side, rubbing his back and using a healing arte in the hopes that Luke would feel better. Luke shuddered, from the cold or being sick, Cass didn't know. He still looked deathly white.

"What is the matter, Luke?" Natalia asked gently. "What happened?"

Luke shook his head, still staring at the grass. "He—he looked just like me…" he mumbled.

The redhead didn't bother standing up right away, and Natalia was quick to shoot a glare at anyone that would suggest that Luke should hurry up. It was a little hypocritical in Cass's opinion, considering how the princess was pushing everyone to hurry to Akzeriuth, but she knew how much Natalia loved Luke. She just wanted him to be all right, and Cass felt the same.

After a minute, Luke stood back up and so did Guy and Natalia. They were quiet, the girls and Guy all wearing the same expression in varying degrees: worry. Tear looked more thoughtful than the others, and Natalia was clearly the most concerned.

Then there was Jade. He was quiet and pensive, would almost look aggressive if his face was just the smallest bit harsher. It was almost as scary as the situation with Arietta at Fubras River. The colonel just… radiated negative emotions.

Cass was more curious about what he said. She didn't get a good look at Asch, but their hair color was eerily similar in the rain. Despite all the errands she ran for the princess in Baticul—one of the most populated cities on the planet—she had never seen two people look identical. The same differences between Ion and Sync could be said for Luke and Asch. The God-Generals just seemed more mature, harsher than her companions appeared. Could twins really be that common? First it was Ion and Sync, now it was Luke and Asch.

The thing was she _knew_ Luke didn't have any siblings. That was something Natalia would know, and she seemed shocked by Luke's announcement. The princess didn't know why someone would look just like Luke. So, just what exactly was going on here? Why did they look the same?

"By the way, they took Ion and left," Jade pointed out, taking the subject away from Luke.

Anise reacted first, gasping and stomping her foot angrily. It made her seem younger. "I let them get away!" she groaned.

Jade sighed before taking off his glasses and wiping droplets of rain off the lenses. "Regardless, we've encountered the God-Generals. The decoy is a failure."

"Should we head back to Baticul and go by ship?" Guy asked.

Anise shot a glare at Guy before yelling "No!" and running at him. Guy backed out of the way so fast it seemed like he just teleported a few meters backwards. "If we go back to Baticul, we'll just be taken farther away from Ion! We need to save him as fast as possible!"

Natalia nodded in agreement, a subtle disgusted look gracing her features, as if agreeing with the young Oracle Knight left a bad taste in her mouth. "I agree. Besides, it would be a waste of time if we returned. Father would have sealed the port after the decoy departed. He still doesn't trust Malkuth."

"Well, Luke?" Jade asked with a hint of sarcasm. "Should we return to Baticul and hand Natalia over to His Majesty?"

Natalia looked like she was about to retort, but Luke beat her to it by waving his hand dismissively and saying, "I'm not going to go all the way back to Baticul just so Uncle can tell us what Natalia already did. Let's go already."

* * *

**SKIT: MYSTERY MEAT**

_Character(s): Luke, Natalia, Guy, Tear, Cassia, Anise_

**Natalia ****_(default):_** Dinner is now prepared, everyone.

**Luke ****_(happy):_** Finally! I'm starving.

**Cassia ****_(default):_** Ah… thank you Natalia, but I am not hungry right now.

**Tear ****_(default)_****: **Are you sure you don't want to eat anything, Cass? You haven't eaten at all today.

**Cassia ****_(grin):_** Yes, thank you for your concern, but I will be fine.

**Luke ****_(annoyed): _** (Guy, what the hell?)

**Guy ****_(worried): _**(Something's wrong if she's actually smiling.)

**Cassia ****_(default):_** Truthfully, I don't like eating… _(contemplative)_ meat?

**Anise ****_(head tilt): _**Huh? You're vegetarian? (angry) Why didn't you say something sooner?! I could have made you something without any meat!

**Cassia ****_(worried): _**Ah… no…

**Natalia ****_(annoyed): _**I did not prepare any meat, Cassia. Now, stop your worrying and eat. You need the energy.

**Cassia ****_(worried): _**Oh, I think I hear Jade asking for assistance with… _(default) _I apologize, but I should see what he needs.

_Cassia leaves._

**Everyone ****_(worried/concerned): _**(… What was that about?)


	13. Arabesque

**Disclaimer: **Tales of the Abyss and all characters therein do not belong to me. That honor goes to Namco Bandai. This story is for fun only, and I do not profit from it.

* * *

**Nederim**

Chapter 13 / Arabesque

_"The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more mystery." – Anais Nin_

* * *

The rain continued to fall for two days, and seemed to affect the overall mood of the group more than anything else. Natalia and Luke looked miserable, both never having to deal with such an onslaught of poor weather. Shelters were few and far in between, and they still didn't have too much gald to spend on boarding every single night. This meant a lot of camping in the rain.

Occasionally there was a small wooded area, and they would always stop for the night in those no matter the time—it was really the only reprieve from the rain. The canopy would catch most of the rain, and the drops that fell onto the group of seven weren't enough to make anyone sick. The moods definitely didn't improve, though. Anise wasn't able to cook as well as she wanted which left everyone with cold food. Cass didn't mind too much, but it would have been nice to eat something warm.

However, most of the way to the desert was in a wide, open field. No protection from the weather, and that made Luke even more irritable than normal. Luckily the dry climate of the desert would clear up the clouds, so everything would be better by the time they reached the border sands. At least, that's what Cass hoped would happen. Luke's complaining was beginning to get on her nerves. Yes, she could have been in a better mood, but she was keeping her discomfort to herself.

Despite the princess's attendant's hopes, the complaints about the weather did not end with the rain. There was a short amount of time, about a day, when everyone was just glad to get rid of the horrible weather. No one complained, and it was relatively peaceful and quiet. Once they reached the outskirts of the desert, however, Luke started up again.

Reaching that point where the landscape shifted from the green fields into the bleak desert was when Cass realized there was no way she could have been from Chesedonia. It was impossible—had to be. Sand dunes were so incredibly difficult to walk through, and the amount of times Cass fell and stumbled and knocked people over had to be a testament to how unused to this she was. Wind got sand absolutely _everywhere_. In pants, eyes, shoes—the entire journey through this area was just very uncomfortable and left her mildly awed and disgusted at the news places she was finding sand grains.

The desert was a completely new experience for her; one that she didn't enjoy at all. In Baticul it was never this suffocatingly hot, even with the humid summers. Even with her legs uncovered, Cassia still felt like she was wearing too many layers, and her long hair was constantly sticking to the back of her neck—it was almost as uncomfortable as the sand was.

The small reprieve from the heat began when the sun began to set, but even then it didn't last long. Lizards and other monsters would come out during the night, but they weren't too much of a problem to deal with. What was, however, was how _cold_ it became only a few hours after the sun disappeared from the sky. It was much better than the heat, but it seemed so unreal to Cass that the desert could be so… extreme in its weather.

At first Luke complained nearly nonstop about how horrible everything was, why they couldn't go straight to Akzeriuth like they were supposed to, why was saving Ion so important anyway. After a particularly long gust of wind blew sand into his open mouth he quieted down a little, but not enough to stop getting on most people's nerves.

Compared to Luke, Natalia was better at concealing her discomfort with the desert, though not by much. While she was mostly quiet about the weather (leaving that subject in Luke's hands apparently), she wouldn't stop arguing with Luke about how important helping people was. Ion was incredibly important to everyone, she'd say, and it was imperative that they help him. It led her to telling everyone to pick up their pace so they could rescue the Fon Master and assist with Akzeriuth's situation as soon as possible. The speed she wanted to move at was nearly impossible with how hard traversing the dunes was.

Anise was exhausted and snapping at most people, her patience having reached its end days ago. Luke's comments about Ion riled her up swiftly, and Tear was the one to try and stop any spat before it even started. Despite playing peacekeeper, her replies were getting as short as everyone else's and her skin was beginning to turn a painful looking red color.

Guy was trying his hardest to keep everyone uplifted, but even Cass could tell that it was hard for him to be so positive when everyone was getting upset at one another. The sand seemed to make him the most uncomfortable. For the most part Cassia remained silent, if only because it hurt to move any part of her face. The sun was unrelenting and now she understood how she was so burned when Natalia found her years ago. It seemed more awful this time around.

Jade, on the other hand, seemed perfectly at home strolling through the desert. Unlike the rest of the party, not a single streak of sweat marred his face, or even his uniform for that matter. His comments were always in that same lighthearted tone he'd always speak with, and that seemed to be another key factor in everyone's agitation.

The oasis was a welcome sight to the group once it appeared on the horizon. Luke actually stopped whining for a few minutes when he saw the glimmering surface of the water, picking up his pace as much as he could in the deep dunes. The rest were quick to match his pace, especially once they realized it was actually getting closer, not staying the same distance away like a mirage would.

The air at the small oasis wasn't as heavy with heat as it had been while walking through the desert and it almost seemed like the temperature dropped a few degrees just from the proximity of the water. Cass gathered up all the water bottles before walking to the pool and refilling them with clean water while the others went around, asking the people if they had seen the Fon Master, but no one matched his description. Not only that, but no one had seen anyone that matched either Asch's or Sync's appearance. However, a few did say that a Malkuth landship _did_ appear. While helpful, it wasn't nearly enough to figure out the direction they took Ion. The desert was vast, and it wouldn't be a good decision to choose a direction at random.

"What the hell?" Luke gasped, collapsing on the sand, hands gripping his head tightly. "Who the hell are you?!" the noble ground out.

Guy was quick to get on the same level as Luke. "Is it those headaches again?" he asked.

Tear knelt to Luke's level as well, in case he needed healing. "Headaches?" She questioned.

Guy explained quickly, "Ever since he was kidnapped, he'll get headaches occasionally. Sometimes they're so bad he hears voices."

Cass was aware about the headaches—she'd been around him a few times when he was in a lot of pain from them. The voices were something she was completely in the dark about; she had no idea at all that headaches could even make someone hear voices.

"Asch!" Luke said. Everyone stayed quiet, listening to the young noble talk to himself, letting him finish. "Where the hell are you?!" Luke stood up shortly after asking his question to himself, but didn't take his hand off his forehead. There must have been some lingering pains from the sudden headache. He looked fine, just scowling like always.

"Hearing imaginary voices again, Luke?" Guy asked, sounding oddly lighthearted considering how concerned he was a moment ago.

Luke shook his head, from deepening. "It definitely wasn't imaginary," Luke replied. "That voice was Asch's. He said he was with Ion in the Zao Ruins."

Anise's eyes widened and she took a small step forward. "Ion's there?" she asked.

"The Zao Ruins?" Jade muttered to himself. "From 2000 years ago?" Cass hadn't heard of them before, and neither had Luke. The noble looked at the colonel, asked him what they were. "I'm afraid I don't know," he answered with a light shrug before sticking his hands back into his pockets. How he could stand the extra heat from the pockets was a mystery. "I would be most grateful if the leader would find them for us."

Luke narrowed his eyes at the older man, turning to face him fully and crossed his arms over his chest. "You're really obnoxious, aren't you?"

Jade's smile widened. "Not at all. I'm so good-natured and honest, it almost hurts."

Cass could hardly think of anything good-natured or honest about the man.

Tear shook her head before reprimanding him, telling him to stop teasing Luke. After a short pause she said, "Let's go ask the people here if they have any information about the ruins."

The Zao ruins were dusty, hot, and moist. Sand from the surface poured into the buried city, raising more dust and causing everyone to cough. Small sconces hung on the walls, distanced enough that there was always a couple feet of absolute darkness on the broken stone path. When the twisting path ended, they went deeper into the ruins. The walkways ended, as did the sconces, but the natural light filtering in from above had the same effect as the sconces did. These were the actual ruins; small adobe-like houses were built all over the place, some crushed by fallen rocks and debris, others just withering away due to age. There wasn't a single house that was still completely intact.

Disregarding the difficulties to breathing the ruins were causing, Cass couldn't help but admire the remains of the structures. There was something almost fantastical about walking down the same paths that people from the Dawn Age used to meander down, doing whatever tasks they needed to accomplish for daily life. Natalia in particular seemed to disregard the stuffy air almost immediately once they caught sight of the first buildings. She was turning her head in every direction, trying to take everything in at once.

The city was definitely beautiful in its own right, even taking into account how demolished it was. The only thing that was distracting from it was the overwhelming amount of dust and sand in the air. Cass would have preferred the coughing fits to happen every once in a while, not every few minutes. There wasn't much she could do about it, though apparently her coughs bothered Luke so much that he made Natalia give the blonde her orange cravat. It certainly helped, but only a little.

The deeper into the ruins they went, the less filtering sunlight reached the path everyone was travelling on. It grew darker, and Tear had begun to channel fonons into her staff, until suddenly her makeshift light wasn't the only thing illuminating the ruins.

They were small at first, and few and far in between, but the golden brown lights eventually lit up the underground city enough that Tear didn't need to use artes anymore.

"Are these… Second Fonons?" Natalia asked slowly, looking around at all the glowing lights. "They're so beautiful."

"But how can we see them?" Anise wondered. "There's no way for fonons to suddenly become visible like this."

"It seems that the large concentrations of fonons here caused them to coalesce," Jade said. "It's a rare phenomenon; this area must be a fon slot."

"So this is a place where fonons gather?" Cass asked.

Tear nodded. "Yes. Just like with your body, this is a place that fonons are drawn to. It's much larger and more powerful than all your body's fon slots combined, however. That must be why there's such a large concentration here."

It seemed that only Second Fonons were drawn into the Zao Ruins, however. From fighting with everyone up until this point, Cass had heard of something similar to these fonon clusters, left over fonons from fonic artes, but those were completely different than these. This was… different. The large concentration of fonons here must have done something, because unlike fonon residue from artes, Cassia could actually feel that there were fonons in the air here. It was an odd sensation, almost like feeling the sound of rocks dislodging themselves from a sheer cliff and falling back to the earth.

"Look at this, Master!" Mieu suddenly shouted. Hopping excitedly from the bag he travelled in, the small cheagle landed safely on the ground before scampering off towards a particularly low cluster of fonons. Ignoring his master's groan of 'what the hell are you doing, Thing? Just go back into your bag and shut up,' Mieu just stood in the center of the fonons and waited.

A moment later, the cluster of fonons vanished and Mieu began to chatter loudly. Bouncing around eagerly, trying to find something, he dashed towards a rock and jumped at it, curling in on himself and shattering the rock once he collided with it.

Cass took half a step back. "…I didn't realize that cheagles, even the children, had so much strength…"

Hopping away from the debris, Mieu made his way back to the humans. "It wasn't all me," he announced. "It's the power of the Sorcerer's Ring!"

"The Sorcerer's Ring?" Jade repeated. "May I see it, Mieu?" he asked, getting down on the cheagle's level. Mieu bounced into Jade's hand, and the colonel removed the ring from around the monster's body. "There's a new fon verse carved into it," he observed, giving the ring back to Mieu.

Stepping inside and sliding it up, Mieu nodded. "There's a story that Yulia brought this ring to a volcano! The amount of Fifth Fonons there is why I can breathe so much fire, even though I'm a child! The Elder said that if there's a large amount of fonons, I should let the ring soak them up, like Yulia did."

So the fonons weren't harmful? Cass looked around her.

She wanted to touch one.

There couldn't be any harm in it—after all, fonists drew fonons into their bodies all the time. She didn't know much about human fon slots, but touching the ball of Second Fonons didn't seem like it would be much different than drawing a smaller amount of the same type of fonon into one's body. Reaching out a hand without any hesitation, she passed the tips of her fingers through the condensed orb of fonons.

It was the same synesthesia-esque sensation as before, simply more intense. Drawing her hand back, Cass wondered if that was how fonists felt all the time. It wasn't a necessarily unpleasant experience—odd, definitely—but the after effect left her sort of dizzy and vaguely ill. The feeling vanished quickly enough, and they dwelled among the Second Fonons for only a little while longer before continuing onward, hoping that Luke wasn't simply hearing things when he said Asch was here with the Fon Master.

There were four figures at the end of the path, all of which Cass was able to recognize easily. There was Ion, farthest away with his hands out, as if working with the brightly colored glyph on the door. Next to him stood the redheaded God-General: Asch. The glyph disappeared quickly once Anise rushed forward, addressing the two God-Generals that had distanced themselves from the Fon Master. "Largo, Sync! Give Ion back now!" she demanded, walking towards her charge with an air of authority. The tall one—Largo—halted her advance by with a swing of his scythe, almost hit her with it if she didn't stop.

"The Fon Master is in the middle of a ritual," the giant informed the Fon Master Guardian. "We cannot allow you to interrupt."

Luke unsheathed his blade and the others followed in suit—preparing for the oncoming battle. "Then we'll just have to take him by force!"

Cass tensed, the battle with Arietta and her monsters was difficult enough; this time there were three God-Generals they would have to fit. Staying alert and keeping her attention focused on all targets, she noticed that only Sync and Largo were making movements that insinuated a readiness for battle. Asch had yet to even turn around or put his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Largo laughed, easily swinging his weapon up to rest on his shoulder. "This should be fun. Let's see how you've grown since I last saw you, _cowering_ on the Tartarus."

"That's nice, coming from someone that was half-dead after one shot by Jade."

"We won't lose this time so easily, boy…"

The one next to him cracked his knuckles, and Cass could make out a smirk hidden in the shadow of his mask. "Sync the Tempest, God-General of the Oracle Knights, shows no mercy."

And he definitely didn't, because right when Sync finished he ran forward towards Luke, delivering a kick into the noble's sword hand almost too fast for Cass's eyes to keep track of. His blade clattered to the ground, and he quickly ducked away to grab it while Guy intercepted the next melee hits that were meant for the redhead.

Cass joined the fray against Sync, helping Guy keep him away from Luke until he was ready to join the fight again. Largo jumped into the battle hardly a second after Cass did, Natalia's arrows and Anise's doll not doing much in terms of damage, but keeping him from advancing towards the fonists. Making sure the tall God-General was preoccupied, Cassia spared a glance towards the Fon Master, making sure to keep an eye on him and Asch as she narrowly avoided a kick to the side.

The glyph was back on the wall, but otherwise neither Ion nor Asch had moved and didn't look like they were going to. It couldn't be deadly if none of the Oracle Knights were worried about it, so she focused all of her attention on her current fight with Sync.

Guy was no longer at her side, but Luke fought alongside her now that he had his weapon back. There was an occasional fonic arte aimed at the green God-General that startled her at first, not sure who they were from, but she quickly realized that none of her opponents seemed to be fonists like Arietta was. They were mainly physical combatants, using fonons to strengthen their already formidable abilities.

Sync crouched slightly, and Cass took two quick steps backward to avoid the uppercut. The earth quaked, and with a yell of "_Stone Dragon Ascent!" _ the God-General launched himself into the air, bringing the ground up with him. The rocks knocked Luke off his feet, but he recovered quickly; Cass jumped backwards once more, lost her balance slightly on the rupture on the ground, but otherwise avoided the attack.

Rushing back at the God-General with Luke at her side, she side-stepped around him as Luke tried to break his guard from the front. Just like Arietta, his uniform was made of something incredible durable; attacks weren't doing much damage to him even when he wasn't guarding. There was something different in the air this time around, she realized amid releasing a torrent of slashes to Sync's back. It was similar to the way the air felt among the coalesced Second Fonons in the ruins—it was slight, hardly noticeable, but the vibration of fonon residue from Sync's attack was still around.

And if Cassia could feel the fonons, she could use them against him.

Taking a deep breath, not really sure if she was doing anything correctly but trying anyway, the blonde focused on the feeling of Second Fonons for half a second before returning her attention to her target. Directing her breath through her legs and into her feet, she stepped around Sync again. Shouting "_Tectonic Shift!" _Cass stayed in place, but the ground around Sync spun, turning his back towards her.

There was not enough time to react before whatever surprise he might have felt at the sudden shift of the earth left him, and he wasted no time using Cass's shock at herself against her, punching her in the stomach and sending her flying. Seventh Fonons rushed into her as she stood up and made her way back to the God-General.

Minutes passed and Cass pushed herself passed her limit, focusing only on the fact that Sync's uniform was now in much worse shape than it was when she and Luke first began their assault. Their attacks were beginning to stun him, and with artes from Jade and Anise occasionally, he was barely given enough time to throw devastating punches and physical attacks that were infused with the power of fonons. He was the first to go down, too beat up and disheveled to do anything more, and Largo fell soon after from the barrage of the group of seven's attacks.

The glyph was gone, Cass noticed as Asch walked down the stone stairs, away from Ion, and withdrew his weapon. "Damn it, the two of you can't stop them?" the remaining God-General ran forward, but Luke's sword met his, mirroring every ability.

"Those are Master Van's moves!" Luke spat. "How do _you_ know them?"

"What are you, stupid?" Asch retorted, using his strength to push his blade harder against Luke's making the noble fall back slightly but keep his guard up. "It's because we trained in the same style, how else?!" He readied his sword to swing down again but before Luke could retaliate, Sync stopped Asch.

"Let's make a deal," the Tempest started after a few coarse words to the other God-General. "In exchange for ending the fight here, we'll let the Fon Master go."

It seemed reasonable to Cassia, after all, that's why they went to the Zao Ruins in the first place. Luke, on the other hand, had different plans. "Or we could just finish you off right now!" he replied haughtily.

Turning her attention away from the Oracle Knights and onto the boy next to her, she frowned. What was he saying? Just a few weeks ago, maybe a month, he was absolutely against the idea of killing Arietta. What had changed? He was the person she could rely on to speak with her against needless killing, and this would likely be just as needless as killing Arietta.

They could be tried, just like the littler God-General. Largo, Sync, and Asch were going to cooperate, so their deaths didn't even need to be considered, right? What had happened to Luke? Why was he being different now?

"Don't forget that we're underground, boy," Largo said. "We could bury you beneath the desert along with us. It's a sacrifice we're willing to make."

"We should accept their offer," Tear said. "Right now, we need to recover Ion and hurry to Akzeriuth."

Tear was one of the last people Cass would have expected to agree with her, though her reasons were slightly different. The outcome was the same, though, so Cass didn't think it mattered too much what her reasons were. After a moment, Luke nodded and agreed to Sync's offer, who in turn motioned for Ion to join them. Anise stood as a barrier between the boy and the God-Generals, making sure that even when they started to leave the area, the three wouldn't try and take Ion back.

Once they were out of sight, Ion apologized for all the trouble he caused—getting kidnapped and having everyone come find him. Jade asked him about what the 'ritual' here was for.

"There's a Sephiroth here," the Fon Master began. "The God-Generals brought me here to remove the Daathic seal, since only a Fon Master can remove them. The Order of Lorelei has been protecting the Sephiroth, so the request was odd, especially since they shouldn't have been able to do anything to the Sephiroth even after the seal is gone."

Guy asked why the Order has been protecting the Sephiroth, to which Ion responded that it was confidential to the Order.

They made their way quickly through the ruins again, stopping right outside the exit to use some items and recover from the exhaustion of the fight with the God-Generals. Tear and Natalia could only heal so much, and all the blows that Luke, Guy, and Cass took left them drained. Luke rummaged through the item bag and handed the two melee fighters two small jars filled with an orange colored gel, which they drank quickly. Once they were feeling recovered, the group stepped out into the heat of the desert.

They wind had died down a little, which made it much more bearable than the walk to the Zao Ruins. "Even if it's sunny and dusty out here," Anise said, "it's so nice to finally be out of those creepy old ruins."

"We're going back to Chesedonia, aren't we?" Luke asked, to which Tear nodded in affirmation. "Well then let's hurry up and get to town. I'm gonna shrivel up out here," he whined.

Cass frowned and narrowed her eyes at the noble, but didn't say anything. She did agree with him, and wouldn't mind getting out of the heat as soon as possible.


	14. Silence

**Disclaimer: **Tales of the Abyss and all characters therein do not belong to me. That honor goes to Namco Bandai. This story is for fun only, and I do not profit from it.

* * *

**Nederim**

Chapter 14 / Silence

_"Two persons in a vista, the third one says she's hollow." - Theatre of Tragedy  
_

* * *

"We should rest here before we take the ship," Tear said, once they arrived in Chesedonia once more. "It's been a long day."

"If we go to the Malkuth consulate, they should show us to the ship that will take us to Kaitzur," Jade said. "Let's do that tomorrow."

Cassia had no complaints with the plan. In fact, she was relieved that everyone else seemed to think resting now would be the best course of action. If traveling through the desert wasn't exhausting enough, then the events that occurred in the Zao Ruins would definitely make anyone tired. Not saying anything and simply giving a nod in agreement, Cass followed the group to the inn on the Kimlascan side of the city.

Right before Luke could reach for the door, he suddenly fell to his knees, grasping his head as he groaned in pain. Natalia was quick to go to his side, wondering if he was okay, when he just pushed her away and got up, taking slow, effort-filled steps away from everyone. Hesitantly, Tear took a few steps towards him to see if she could help, but what happened next Cass never thought would happen.

It was obvious that Luke had a temper; that much was clear to even Cass. And, while she had become a bit wary of him since his actions in the Zao Ruins, she would never even consider him drawing his weapon and turning it on Tear a possibility. But here he was, pointing the edge of the sword at the Oracle Knight. One hand stayed on his head, the other the held the sword remained stable, not even shaking like it used to.

"Luke, what are you doing?" Tear asked. Her voice was steady, but her tone changed slightly at the end.

"It isn't me!" Luke replied in a strained voice. "It's Asch, he's controlli—" he could finished before he collapsed into the sand. He didn't move again, nor did he make a sound. Guy quickly made a move to rush him into the inn, into a bed, so the noble could rest. Cass picked up the sword that was left in the dust, but made sure to place it away from Luke once he was placed in a bed.

"What's happening to him?" Natalia asked, her voice filled with concern.

Cassia glanced around the room at everyone. Tear was fairly expressionless, focusing on a small healing arte even though it couldn't have been effective; Jade, as always, was straight-faced; and Guy, Natalia, Ion, and Anise all had varying degrees of what looked like worry on their faces.

"I think I may know, but I'd rather refrain from commenting until I'm certain," Jade said. Cass frowned. "However I do believe Dist is the one behind this."

"Dist?" Natalia repeated.

"Another one of the God-Generals," Guy explained. "He must have done something to Luke back at Choral Castle."

There was a tense paused. Before Cass could open her mouth and attempt to make Jade announce his hypothesis, the princess was the one that broke the silence. "I was unaware that you stopped at Choral Castle when you were retrieving Luke, Cassia. Why was I not made aware of this in your reports?"

She didn't reply for a moment. "I did not want you to worry about Luke," she answered honestly. "He was the same as always after we left; I didn't think anything happened to him."

The younger girl crossed her arms. "Well, clearly that is not the case. May I have a word, Cassia?"

She knew by now that this wasn't a request, so she nodded. "Of course. However," she said, turning to Jade, "is there a reason other than lack of certainty you're withholding information about Luke's condition, Jade?"

The colonel smiled at her. "Of course," he replied. "Just like you, I wouldn't want to worry Her Majesty over something that may be trivial. After all, I might be wrong, and then everyone would have been concerned over nothing."

Cass's frown deepened. She felt like he was making fun of her rather than wanting to make sure Natalia wasn't worried about something that might not matter. She didn't say anything though, and instead turned away from Jade. Sharing a look with the princess, the blonde made her way out of Luke's room and waited just outside for Natalia to follow in suit.

"Let us return to our room for the moment," Natalia said stiffly. "You will draw me a bath and I expect a _full_ report on the events this time, Cassia." Without waiting for a reply, the noble walked down the hall and into the second room they had bought for the night. The attendant could only follow after and do as she was told.

* * *

"I see," Natalia acknowledged, arm held out as Cass scrubbed it clean. "These God-Generals might be planning something concerning Luke. Aside from the landship, Choral Castle, the border, Kaitzur, and that confrontation at the river, there was nothing else, correct?"

"Yes," Cass answered, letting go of her arm. It dropped back into the brown-tinted water and she reached for the princess's other arm. "As for your theory, no one seemed to care about Luke's presence, until Choral Castle." The blonde stopped for a moment, focused on cleaning Natalia, before she added. "It was an odd fon machine. Jade seemed to know what it was, but he wouldn't explain."

"For an emissary of peace, he certainly is doing a poor job of gaining _my_ trust. You would think he would be more concerned about the well-being of the royal family," Natalia huffed. Cass agreed silently. "His Imperial Majesty must trust him, however, and I must have faith in his judgment. If not, then peace between the two countries will be all the more difficult."

"If you trust him, then I will," Cass said. "Lean forward, please." The princess did as she was told, and the pair sat in silence for a moment. "Natalia, did you find me in the desert? Or was I closer to Chesedonia?"

"It was rather close to the southern side of the desert, actually," Natalia answered. "Now that I think about it, you were fairly close to the Zao Ruins. Perhaps a few hours south of the oasis."

Her attendant hummed thoughtfully, wondering why she would have even been in the desert in the first place. "Does Luke have a twin?"

Green eyes blinked at the sudden question. "A twin?" she repeated. "No, the Fabre's only have a single child, and that is Luke. I can see why you would be curious," she acknowledged quietly. "That God-General—Asch?—he did look eerily similar to Luke…"

"I agree," Cass nodded. "I feel as though there's something… odd about Luke as well."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Cass started, "he used to be frightened of fighting people. His comment to the God-Generals before they let us leave the ruins concerned me."

Another round of silence came over the two. "You also do not wish to harm anyone, correct? Is that why Luke's words bothered you?"

"I don't want to hurt anyone. I know that I need to, and I believe I will be able to kill someone if there's no other option, but… killing something when there are other solutions just doesn't seem right. Here's your towel." Natalia stood up and got out of the bath and Cass hastily handed over the towel so she could dry herself. "I feel as though there is something else," she continued. "I'm not quite sure what... perhaps it's just his temper from being in the desert for so long."

"I felt the same way ever since his kidnapping," Natalia told her. "It's like he's a completely different person, more so now that he returned to the capital. I guarantee Guy and that gardener are to blame."

The attendant didn't know anything about how Luke was before the kidnapping, so she couldn't say anything regarding that matter. Maybe she just wasn't paying enough attention until she left Baticul for Akzeriuth, but at first it seemed like that fon machine didn't do anything to Luke. After the events outside of the inn, though, clearly something happened, especially if Guy and Jade thought so; they actually knew some things about fon machines. But she had no clue what it could have been. Guy would have said something if he knew, and Jade refused to say anything at this point in time.

"Cassia?" Natalia said suddenly, halting her attendant's thoughts. Cass paused her work and waited for the princess to continue. "If what Luke said to those God-Generals truly bothered you, perhaps you should speak with him about it."

"I should," she acquiesced. She felt that she got along decently with the duke's son, and being wary of him wasn't something she wanted. They were friends—she thought so, at least—and despite how grating Luke's personality could be at times, she didn't want to just throw away any relationship between them right away. Getting out of the desert would probably be the end of any doubts she was having. The weather didn't agree with either of them, and even Cass had been more irritable as of late. And in the end, he might not have been serious about what he said. He did that often when training with Van—Imri called it bluffing. She was likely just overthinking things.

"Cassia, what are you doing? Hurry and clean up so you can escort me to the city."

"Ah, but, the bath is already drained?"

Natalia crossed her arms and frowned at the older girl. Cass suddenly felt incredibly stupid under her stare.

"I meant yourself. You're covered in blood and sand and I will _not_ allow you to walk through a crowded area like that."

* * *

The Chesedonian sun somehow managed to leave Cassia's now-clean clothes mostly dry by the time she finished cleaning. Tear and Anise were nowhere to be seen in their shared room, but Natalia remained in the room. The moment the attendant stepped out, Natalia stood, informing the older girl that they were to leave immediately. After all, Cassia 'would not make any progress on getting her memory back if she did not search the city.'

She complied, like usual, and the duo left right away, the taller girl trailing behind the princess obediently. They'd pass a multitude of stalls, and Natalia stopped at each one, looking at the wares they were selling. All the vendors tried to persuade the pair to buy something, but Cass never would and Natalia was resilient to their words. She did pay for a small charm, though. It was plain and simple, and Cass tried to read what was written on it but didn't have the time to.

"You were taking quite a bit of damage during that battle," she told Cass, stick the charm out for her to take. Cass grabbed it from her hand gingerly. "This will help improve your agility and strength. Sync seemed to be rather resilient to your usual combat style."

She nodded. "Yes, that's true… thank you," Cass said, getting a closer look at the little charm. It had the word 'ballacido' inscribed on it. Natalia had something similar, so she knew what it was. She just asked what 'ballacido' meant.

"It means 'vigorously' in Ancient Ispanian," she explained shortly before changing the subject. Natalia's voice quieted. "Have you remembered anything?"

Just in case, Cass took another look around the market place. "Nothing," she said, shaking her head. "However… I don't think I'm from Chesedonia." She gestured around to the people in the market. "Everyone is rather tan, and I'm not. Also, the heat isn't something I'm entirely fond of."

Natalia nodded in agreement, but looked slightly disappointed. "I figured as much. Finding you near here may have just been a coincidence. After all, Chesedonia is a neutral city; you might even be from Malkuth."

Cass shrugged in response. "Guy seemed to think I might be from Daath."

"What brought him to that conclusion?"

"Well, Lorelei was familiar to me, as were fonon frequencies," she explained. "I spoke with him about it… and he suggested that remembering that, along with being from a higher altitude, made it seem like I was from the mountains around Daath."

"I see… that does make sense," Natalia agreed, walking to a different stall. Cass followed. "You should speak with those Oracle Knights about Padamiya. They should know the area rather well." She wrinkled her nose a little, "Or, perhaps the Fon Master would be better."

Cassia gave her a look, wondering what she meant, but Natalia either didn't see it or ignored it. She followed Natalia as she looked around the remainder of the market, but neither of them bought anything else. They headed back to the inn at sunset, receiving a half-hearted greeting from Anise and Tear.

The older Oracle Knight was organizing newly bought supplies, while the younger was sitting in the middle of one of the beds, sewing up her doll's arm. There was a pile of stuffing sitting next to her, and she took care to make sure Tokunaga was stitched up perfectly.

Once Anise looked over her worked with a critical eye and deemed it acceptable, Cassia decided to do as Natalia suggested and ask the pair about Daath. Nothing about the city itself sounded familiar, but the climate seemed like it would be pleasant. Aside from that, nothing about the girls' description of the area stuck out to her. Conversation seemed to fade into silence, and there was a silent agreement that they should all head to bed. With hardly another word, the four split the beds—Natalia and Cass in one, Anise and Tear in the other—and became dead to the world.

* * *

_"Do you think you're ready for this, Cass?"_

_It was a valid question. She'd learned about it from her father, but regular combat training was on a completely different level from the artes she would need to use. Even if she wasn't ready—and she was beginning to feel like she wasn't as prepared as she could be—there wasn't anything she could do about it. It was time._

_Cass nodded in affirmation instead of vocally answering the question. The sun was bearing down on the three of them with no remorse, and she thought it wise to preserve what energy she had, no matter how little._

_"How can you be so sure?" asked the second voice, and Cass turned around to face the source. Sonel's light hair and clothing nearly made her blend in with the never-ending desert landscape, only the color of her skin kept her from vanishing into the desert background. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest and she stood tall and proud, almost looking down at Cass despite the fact that the other woman was taller. "Kano was much more… skilled than you when it was time for his coming of age ceremony. I am not sure you will be able to do what you need to."_

_"Well, that's why we're here, right, Mom?" the first voice said, shooting Cass a tight smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Cass is only going to turn twenty once, so she has to go through with the coming of age ceremony."_

_Sonel sighed deeply but uncrossed her arms. "I suppose you have a point, Levi. We are here to assist when you require it, Cassia."_

_Cass didn't like how she worded the sentence and wished that _someone_ would have more faith in her, especially since she was beginning to doubt herself at this point. Sonel was never helpful in that aspect of her life, so that was expected, but Levi could have been a bit more supportive. He seemed to be doing his best, however, and that was all Cass could ask for._

_Her eyes drifted over to Levi's, looking for more reassurance. Knowing what she wanted, the boy shifted his weight around slightly before crossing his arms over his Oracle Knight regalia and nodding in approval at her. "Do what you have to do, Cass. We'll be… right behind you." Cass let the corners of her mouth twitch upwards at his words and nodded once more. Turning away from the two once more, Cass took one, two, three steps toward her destination._

_A blast of fire shot up her spine and she gasped out in pain and shock._

_"What are you doing?!"_

_Something shot from the ground, nearly going straight through her leg as she tried to whirl around as quickly as she could._

_"It's what I _need_ to do! You feel the same, don't you?"_

_A heavy weight seemed to engulf her and she winced, dropping down into the sand. Not even thinking at this point—just reacting on instinct—she brought out a weapon and tried to find some sort of purchase in the sand to get back on her feet. Only hearing muffled shouts at this point, she ran in the direction she thought the fonic artes were coming from._

_There was a clash and she didn't know what caused it, only that the vibrations travelled down her arm and made her tense._

_There was a tearing sound and another wave of warmth, but different from the fifth fonic arte. More foreboding, more absolute._

_The shouts became monotone drones. _

_She was back in the sand, air knocked out of her._

_Something collided with the side of her face._

And her eyes shot open from the impact.

"Honestly, how you can sleep for so long is truly astounding, Cassia," Natalia huffed, ripping the blankets off of the blonde that was still in the bed. "It is _your_ job to wake me, is it not? Have you had someone else get you out of bed these past few years?"

Cass didn't know how to reply. She was still reeling from the dream, and wasn't exactly sure what was happening. She was sleeping. Natalia woke her up? Were they leaving?

"What?" she asked eloquently.

Natalia sighed, "It's been nearly ten hours. You were supposed meet everyone in the lobby fifteen minutes ago. Even Luke is there."

They were supposed to catch the ferry this morning! Cass got out of bed instantly, ran a hand through her hair without much consideration before throwing on her clothes and heading downstairs. Everyone was downstairs, even Luke, and she pursed her lips in disappointment at herself.

"It's about damn time!" Luke said once she reached the bottom step of the inn. "We've been waiting forever."

"My apologies," Cass said, taking a spot next to the princess. "I suppose… yesterday was more eventful than I'm used to." She wanted to take the time to write in her notebook about her dream, or talk to Natalia, but everyone else was clearly more than ready to leave for the Malkuth consulate. Not wanting to delay them any more that she already had, Cass remained quiet as Jade led them to the Malkuth consulate. Here, a woman in a military uniform informed them that Van already left to Akzeriuth with a unit.

Luke groaned. "Great. Now we're even _more_ behind than we already were…"

"There's already a ferry in the harbor that can leave to Kaitzur today. Shall I begin making the arrangements for it to depart within half an hour?" the woman asked. Jade nodded. "Please wait here while I let the crew know," she said before heading out the door.

It was the perfect opportunity to collect her thoughts. Once the woman had left the room, Cass immediately grabbed her notebook and found a spot that was out of the way to sit. Taking up her pen, she began to write.

Based on what the doctor's told her years ago, she had to be around twenty-three now if that was her coming of age ceremony. The question that conclusion brought up was why she was in the desert. It certainly seemed important, even disregarding it as being her coming of age ceremony, but she had no idea what reason she could have had for being in the desert.

Second, the possibility of her being from Daath—or at least that continent—was looking more and more likely. While it may not have looked similar to Tear's or Anise's uniform, Levi was certainly wearing Oracle Knight clothing; the designs on it matched some of the fonists she had encountered a few months ago. If her other dreams were memories, that meant she grew up with Levi. If he joined the Oracle Knights, it was possible that she could have been part of it before as well. She was unsure if that was the case, however, and simply made a note that she might have only lived on Padamiya.

Next, she now had a general idea of what happened before Natalia found her. Even if she had written this all down the moment she woke up, Cass was certain that the details of the end of the dream would have been just as fuzzy. Someone had attacked her before she had been able to do what she was supposed to. She wasn't sure who it was, but based on previous dreams and actions in this one, Sonel seemed like the culprit. After using fonic artes, she must have hit her over the head and left her in the desert… probably to die.

There was a battle going on at the time, after all. Even if Cass managed to make Sonel retreat, leaving an unconscious Cass in the field of battle should have been all that had to be done to get rid of her. But why would someone want her dead? Sonel clearly didn't like her and seemed to think that Cass wasn't able to do… something. Would that be enough reason for wanting to kill someone? She didn't think so, but didn't know much about Sonel's personality at this point to make an assumption. She put a star next to these questions and continued.

Then there had been that name: Kano. It had a warm sort of feeling associated with it, so Cass guessed that he must have been important to her in some way. Her father, maybe? That made sense, seeing as Sonel made a comment about he was more prepared than she was for the same task.

Cassia skimmed over her notes again, pleased with herself. This was a lot of progress! Yes, there were still questions she had to answer that would be difficult at this point in time, but she felt that she drew all the right conclusions from what she knew. If she was from Daath, it might be possible that someone would recognize her. Levi was in the Oracle Knights; Ion, Tear, or Anise might know someone with that name that matched his description.

The military woman came back soon after, informing the group that the ferry was ready. Cass stood up, putting her things away, when Guy suddenly collapsed, grasping at his arm. Cass almost made to head over to him to see if he was all right, but remembered that she would probably just make things worse. None of the Seventh Fonists moved either, and Luke took it upon himself to see if he was fine. The redhead got down to Guy's level, putting his hand on his shoulder and asked what was wrong, but the blond just shoved him to the ground.

Luke groaned from the impact. "Don't tell me Asch is controlling you now, too!"

Guy shook his head and tried to get back to his feet. "I don't think so…" he replied, breathing labored. "I don't hear any voices…"

Ion inhaled sharply before turning to Jade. "We need to get away from here as quickly as possible," he said. "I think I know what's happening to Guy, but it would be best if we leave Chesedonia before I explain."

Luke nodded. "Fine," he agreed, moving one of Guy's arms around his shoulders to help bring him to the ferry. Jade took the other side when it became apparent that Guy's body wasn't moving as he wanted it to. Once they made it, the ferry disembarked immediately.

Ten minutes into sailing, Guy's complexion returned to normal and he didn't look like he was in pain anymore. Just to be sure, Ion asked how he was feeling.

"I'm doing fine now," he replied. "After we left Chesedonia, the pain just vanished."

Ion nodded. "I thought that might be the case," he said before turning to the rest of the group. "I've been worried about this since the last time we were in Chesedonia, but I believe Guy has been affected by a curse slot. It's a type of Daathic fonic arte that reads a person's memories and controls them. You must have been resisting its control very well, Guy. Where did the pain originate from?"

Guy tapped his left forearm, "Right here. Sync was the one that cut my arm like this. Does that meant he's the user?"

"Most likely," the Fon Master said. "The trip to Kaitzur will take a while, Guy. You should rest."

Guy nodded, "Right. I'll do that," he said, leaving the deck to one of the ship's rooms. No conversation followed, so Cass made her way back to the deck to watch the ocean. Ion joined her at the railing moments later without Anise at his side.

"The weather today is rather pleasant isn't it?" he asked and Cass frowned slightly at the question.

"I suppose," she acknowledged, not really noticing the weather. With the desert on the horizon now, it was certainly better than it was not too long ago. "I just like the ocean. It's very soothing."

The Fon Master nodded in agreement. "Yes, it is. I had a view of it from the cathedral in Daath, but I've never spent so much time sailing before. It's a really wonderful experience."

"You didn't sail often?" she asked, curious. "I would think that the Fon Master would need to travel between countries often."

The boy shook his head, but the smile didn't drop from his features. "I'm more of a figurehead than anything else. People respect the Fon Master because they respect the Order. It's not really me they care about…" There was a pause, and Cass watched the smile fall and turn into a solemn expression. "I'm just… a regular boy from Engeve."

"Ion's important," Cass said. "The Fon Master is as well, but Ion is just as important."

It was poorly worded, but Ion seemed to understand what she meant. The smile reappeared on his face. "Yes, you're right, Cass. Everyone is important in their own way, no matter where they're from or the circumstances that made them."

She nodded to herself, deciding that she liked that. Natalia was the princess, and that by itself made her important. Her duty to her people made her all the more special, and those that served her like Cass did were important because they helped Natalia in whatever way they could. It may not be much. They might not be making shelters for the poor, or renovating areas of Baticul, but they were helping someone that had the ability to do so. Cass didn't do much, wasn't nearly as important as Natalia or Ion were, but she did what she could. And as long as she was able to help, that's what she wanted to do.

The sound of waves being broken by the path of the ferry echoed around the pair on deck, letting both Cassia and Ion immerse themselves in their thoughts. She was the one that interrupted the white noise with a question. "Do you think that, if I describe someone, you may know who they are?"

"I can try," Ion answered. "I wasn't allowed to leave the cathedral much, but I do know a few faces in the Order."

Cass nodded and started, "He has silver hair and amber eyes. Maybe around… this tall," she gestured a little bit taller than herself, "and tanned skin. His uniform was black and gold with…" she paused again, not really sure how to describe it, "designs like this," she settled on, moving her pointer fingers diagonally from either shoulder to the center of her chest, before swirling them around in symmetrical designs that ended at her stomach.

"I'm sorry, the appearance doesn't sound familiar to me," Ion replied. "The uniform sounds like it's designed for fonists, though. Maybe a Scorer…" he paused and shut his eyes in thought. "The design on it is for the Second Division Oracle Knights. Did you see this person recently?"

The blonde shrugged. "In a memory… I think."

"A memory?" the Fon Master repeated, glowing. "Cass, I'm so happy that your memory is returning! I was worried your amnesia was similar to Luke's."

Cass just smiled a little at him before turning back to face the ocean, letting the ocean fill the silence once more. She had never spent much time in the company on Ion, probably had never had a conversation with him alone before, but she rather enjoyed his company. He was pleasant and helpful and seemed to truly want the best for the world, just like Natalia did. That resemblance helped her warm up to the Fon Master, and she was happy that she was assisting in something that was helping both Ion and Natalia at the same time. Yes, she might not be as influential as Natalia or Ion, or as strong as Jade and Anise, but she was doing what she could.

The growing feeling of complacency drowned out any further questions she had for the green hair boy. She didn't ask what a Daathic fonic arte was, despite still not knowing when she first heard the term a few months ago. She didn't wonder if Guy's condition was a rare occurrence, or if he would be permanently all right with the curse slot on him. Even with Sync the Tempest returning to the story, she didn't think about who he was or why he looked disturbingly like the boy standing at her side.

Right now she was helping, and that made her content.


	15. Enlighten my Soul

**Disclaimer: **Tales of the Abyss and all characters therein do not belong to me. That honor goes to Namco Bandai. This story is for fun only, and I do not profit from it.

* * *

**Nederim**

Chapter 15 / Enlighten my Soul

_"Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It's the foundational principle that holds all relationships." - Stephen Covey_

* * *

_This_ was a place Cassia wouldn't mind spending some time in.

Deo Pass was a well-worm path that went through a small mountain range in Malkuth territory. According to Natalia, it was made a long time ago, back when Akzeriuth used to be part of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear. Ever since the ownership of the land changed, the path stopped being maintained. Despite the Empire's lack of upkeep, the cobblestone path through Deo Pass was still in amazing condition. For the most part the gradient was small, but sometimes it was impossible to make the path as simple as it could be, so there would be sort periods where the slope was too steep for the walk to be easy for everyone. And the _scenery!_

Small while and yellow flowers sprouted up from cracks in the rocky terrain, along with small patches of grass. Despite how dry the soil looked, the trees, though sparse, grew to enormous, healthy sizes. Most of the time, however, these beautiful, leafy trees ending up being monsters. They were easy enough for everyone to handle, but it made Cass much more cautious in this area than she would have liked. She wanted to admire the area, not be on guard against something that shouldn't be dangerous. It was like finding out a chair wasn't actually a chair, but instead some sort of monster when you went to use it.

The rocks that surrounded the path were just as wonderful as the flora. Luke often shouted at her for wasting time, but the blonde couldn't help but be distracted occasionally by the mountain's composition—it was completely unlike the formations that were around Baticul. These were a deep red, with odd lines going up and down the blocky-looking formation. There were arches of all different shapes and sizes. It was earthy and beautiful and surprisingly distracting. Cass didn't know how long this trek through the mountains would be, but she was hoping that it would be the longes—

"We shouldn't have taken that detour in the desert!" Cass frowned and narrowed her eyes at the back of the redhead in front of her. She was _not_ happy with him at the moment. As she usually did, Cass ended up taking the princess's advice once they arrived in Malkuth territory and spoke with Luke about what he really meant in the Zao Ruins.

_Gathered around the camp fire, Cass had decided to take a spot next to Luke instead of her usual location at Natalia's side. Dinner was finished and everyone was surprisingly full despite the fact that Natalia had decided that she was the one that would prepare the meal (when, in reality, Anise and Guy changed nearly everything the princess was doing while Cass drew her attention away from what was going to be a death sentence). Luke was rather quiet, and to Cass that meant he was in a better mood than he had been as of late._

_"Luke, may I ask you a question?" she started, just like she always did when she had a question in their homework she was confused about._

_He closed one eye and used the other to look at her in his peripheral vision, placing his hands behind his head as he frowned a little deeper. "Just ask already, jeez."_

_"In the Zao Ruins, before the God-Generals let us take Ion back… you said that you would have no trouble 'finishing them off' right then," she said, using the same words he had. She hadn't forgotten them, and they bothered her greatly. Hopefully not for much longer. "Did you mean what you said? Would you have really killed them even though they were going to give Ion back?"_

_He opened his other eye and looked at her for a few seconds in silence. Cass took in his expression, remembering where she had seen something like it before. He was surprised. It wasn't as obvious as that one time she beat him in a sparring match (the first and only time she did), but she could tell. The expression fell quickly and he scoffed, crossing his arms and looking away from the blonde. "Of course I was serious!" he claimed loudly. "I would have cut them down if it wouldn't have put us even farther behind Master Van!"_

_Cass stared at him, almost blank faced as she concentrated on his tone. She'd known him long enough, she figured that, if she paid enough attention, she would be able to see if he was serious or not. Almost a minute passed, and despite her running that short scene through her head over and over, she couldn't pick out any of his usual tells. He'd often drop eye contact and pause audibly, but never outright turned away as far as she knew. She asked him once more, "Do you really mean that, Luke? It wouldn't have bothered you?"_

_This time he turned back to her, expression harsh. "Yeah, I do! They were in the way, and it's kill or be killed until _I _stop the war." He glared, "Unless you wanna die, you need to stop being so weak. Otherwise you'll just put us even farther behind Master Van."_

_"Luke," Guy said, but he wasn't using that reprimanding tone of voice Tear did when she would just say the noble's name after he did something that wasn't good. Cass ignored him and continued to stare at Luke's face. But his expression didn't give away any hint of bluffing or lying or anything._

_He was just over it now? Suddenly, killing people that didn't _need_ to be killed was fine with him? He had no problems whatsoever with being the reason people were dying? Cassia thought that, of everyone, Luke would be the one that would agree with her about sparing a life. If not, at least empathize with her. Clearly that wasn't the case anymore. And she was disappointed._

_She wasn't weak; Cass just didn't want to harm anything if it wasn't necessary. Sometimes killing people was, and she had demonstrated that she was willing and able to end the lives of a few bandits and Oracle Knights so far. Yes, she wasn't happy that that was the only solution, but she did what she needed to do to help. That was why she was here. She wasn't on a mission like Jade or Luke or Tear, but she was here to assist in any way she could, like Guy._

_ And now Luke was suggesting that she _wasn't_ helping? Completely incorrect, not to mention rude. He'd been harsh to her many times, but never had he struck her so personally. It hurt, and she found it difficult to immediately forgive his statement like she had often done in the past, when he insulted her intelligence._

_Cass thought she remained neutral in countenance as she stood up—she was often told she was rather expressionless—but that wasn't the case. Her head was lowered as she put a hand on the ground to push herself to her feet, and blonde bangs covered the upper half of her face, but the visible portion made her feelings an open book: she was betrayed and let down. "I see," was all she said as she left the redhead's side and went back to Natalia's._

She hadn't held a grudge before, but now Cassia found in increasingly difficult to forgive Luke for what he said. The fissure in whatever friendship that might have had at the manor hurt almost as much as his words to her a week ago, but now it seemed like he was continuously testing her patience.

It seemed she wasn't the only one that felt this way now as Anise ran up to glare at Luke. "What do you mean 'detour'?"

The redhead turned up his nose. "I mean we wasted our time! This war won't start as long as I'm the goodwill ambassador. We don't need Ion anymore!"

"Even so," Natalia started with a frown, "this peace is based on the respect Malkuth and Kimlasca have for the Fon Master. Without Ion, there would be no mediator."

The Fon Master simply shook his head, taking in a large inhale of air. "No, it's not that either country holds respect for me. They merely want Yulia's Score. I'm not really needed."

Cass crossed her arms, bothered that despite that conversation they had on the ferry, Ion was still feeling the way he did. Their talk helped her, why didn't it help him? "Ion is important," she said simply.

Guy nodded in agreement, even if the statement didn't hold the same meaning to him as it did to Cassia and Ion. "I can't agree with you on that point, Ion," he shrugged. "You carry weight as a deterrent, even if you do owe it to Yulia's Score. And Luke, you really do need to be more careful with your words."

Luke huffed, "I'm the ambassador, I can say whatever!"

Cass wasn't alone when she gave him a heated look, but Jade was the one to move on first. Adjusting his glasses, he said, "I see, I see. You're all so young. Well, shall we be on our way?" Without waiting for a reply, the colonel simply put his hands back into his uniform's pockets and picked up the pace.

They continued uphill for a little less than an hour, the only sounds being the chirping birds nesting in trees, Anise's grumbling, and Ion becoming breathless. The steeper the path became, Ion was having a harder and harder time keeping up with everyone else. Anise looked worried, but she didn't say anything.

"Luke," Cassia said, "Ion should rest. He is having trouble."

"We're almost at the peak. How about we take a break for Ion once we get there?" Guy suggested.

"No," Luke deadpanned. "We're already way behind Master Van. We can't take any breaks."

"Luke, there's no harm in resting a little!" Natalia chastised.

"I'm fine, everyone," Ion said. "I don't mean to be a burden…" he trailed off, trying to stand and keep going, but he couldn't even stand straight.

Luke gestured to Ion, clearly not even noticing how hard just standing up was on the boy. "He says he's fine, so he's fine. I'm the ambassador, and I'm saying we don't rest, so we don't rest!"

Anise nearly growled at him. "L-listen, you!" she started, but Jade interrupted before a fight could break out.

"Let's get some rest. Ion, I trust that's all right with you?"

Ion looked at Luke, but all the redhead did was walk up the path a little more before sitting on a rock to pout. Luckily for Ion, that was a good enough answer for him to rest for a few minutes. Cass looked from one person to the next as they scattered about and mostly kept to themselves. Not wanting to bother anyone, she decided to walk up more, passed Luke, and found a spot where she could see the northern side of the mountain.

For the most part, the view was lovely. The sky was clear save for a few white, puffy clouds and the sun shone brightly in the middle. The land surrounding Akzeriuth was green and lush like the rest of the plains, and there were few trees to hide the horizon. Akzeriuth itself stood out, and not in the best way. Not only was it a literal hole in the ground, but the inside of it could hardly be seen through a dense purple cloud. Cass gazed out, not enjoying what she was seeing.

Natalia came over a moment later, stopping at her attendant's side. "That must be Akzeriuth," she said solemnly, clearly not happy with the city's predicament. It might not have been her country's territory any more, but that didn't mean she would stand by idly while people were suffering. Guy joined the pair as well to take in the view at a safe distance (from the girls, not the cliff).

Akzeriuth and the miasma… Just looking at it made her throat constrict.

Cass tilted her head to the side to look at Guy. "At Fubras River, Tear said that the miasma can be deadly if overexposed to it… do you think it may be too late to save the city?" she asked.

"I think that most people will make it out fine," the swordsman answered optimistically. "Van's probably already there with a vanguard unit and helping people out of the city. It shouldn't take much longer to evacuate the mining town once we get there."

Cass nodded and directed her attention back to the purple cloud. Even without Van's unit there, the citizens must have started evacuating once the miasma became as dense as it is. There couldn't be that many people left—maybe just some miners and others that needed assistance to leave. Her nose twitched. Soon they'd all be safe.

Jade spoke suddenly from behind the three and Cass nearly jumped at his voice. "Ion says he's feeling better," the colonel said. "We're continuing now."

* * *

"Ahh!" Luke stumbled backwards, before glaring up at the woman standing on an outcrop nearly ten meters above the group. It was the same person back from when Guy and Cassia found Luke on the Tartarus: the serious looking blonde that used fon tech. She quickly held her dual pistols at two different people, adjusting their position if some of the targets moved.

"Major Legretta!" Tear shouted.

"You…! Did you come to take Ion again?!" Luke accused.

The woman on the cliff, Legretta, ignored Luke's accusation. Instead, she focused solely on the melodist. "Tear, why do you keep following these people around?"

Tear took a step forward, "What about you, Major?" she demanded. "Why do you keep on kidnapping Fon Master Ion to take him to the Sephiroth?"

Cass glanced at Tear before directing her attention back at the God-General. She didn't know how they seemed to know each other, but that wasn't important right now. What _was_ important, was staying on guard. This was a God-General. They needed to be careful. And with her weapons, Cass would be at a disadvantage unless she somehow closed any distance if a fight broke out.

"This world is ruled by the Score," Legretta began. "Don't you find it strange that people rely on the Score for everything they do?" The God-General paused for barely a second before continuing, but Cass found herself disagreeing with her words regardless. "Too many people have become overly dependent on it. The worst cases even consult it to decide what to have for dinner. You are no different, and that's why we need Ion—in order to win freedom and free will for human beings."

"We don't go that far!" Anise retorted and Cass nodded in agreement. Personally, she had never even had her birth Score read to her. Yes, she was just one person, and some of the maids _did_ consult that Score quite often, but never to the extent Legretta was suggesting!

Jade looked at the Fon Master Guardian, before nodding in agreement as well and fixing his gaze back on the God-General. "It is certainly easier to just rely on the Score."

The gunwoman glared down at Jade. "And that's exactly what I find so insane! Tear, come back to us."

The girl in question just shook her head, fixing her grip on her staff. "I don't trust my brother, Major," she told her. "Until I'm able to, I won't go back."

There was a tense silence, and the God-General's face remained expressionless. Then, she nodded curtly. "I see. At the very least get away from that reject!" Legretta yelled down, moving one of the guns from whoever it was directed at and training it on Luke.

Luke gripped the hilt of his blade, but he still didn't draw it. "Reject? You mean me?!" he hollered up at her.

Jade ran towards the bottom of the outcrop Legretta stood on. "So, it was you people who resurrected that forbidden technology!"

"Jade, don't!" Ion shouted. "Some things people are better off not knowing."

There was a moment of tense silence, and for a moment Cass was worried that Jade might do something drastic. She had no clue what they were talking about—it was all so vague and there didn't seem to be any flow to the conversation. She stood, trying to loosen her body and pay attention to the actions of everyone around her as well as what they were saying. Eyes darting furiously, she focused on Jade the moment he spoke again. "Ion, you knew?"

Not listening to her mind, her body froze once more at his tone and expression. The colonel's smiles were always unusually frosty, and the way he dealt with Arietta set Cassia on edge. His reaction now was on a completely different level. This wasn't cold—if she could feel the temperature of his words and face, she would have received burns. It was no less than terrifying, and it only became worse as he focused once more on the God-General, voice venomous when he glared—actually _glared_—at the gunwoman. "Whose idea was it? Dist's?"

She seemed unaffected. "Are you talking about fomicry?" she asked. "What good would it do to know?"

"Answer me!"

She trained both guns at him. "They die has been cast, Jade the Necromancer!"

His expression darkened. "Over my dead body!" he shouted as he took a couple steps forward and raised his arm as the air around him began to gust around and crackle with electricity. Before he was able to finish casting his arte, Legretta shot at his feet, causing him to step backwards out of the way. She was out of sight before he could try to retaliate again.

It was silent for the moment after she disappeared, nothing in the air except for a gentle breeze rustling the leaves of trees around the cleared path. Any other time it might have been relaxing, but not now. Now, it was simply out of place and left Cassia feeling incredibly unnerved.

Fomicry. She knew the word, sort of. At the time she was a little distracted by other new information, but it made copies of things. She supposed that it could be used to make life easier—duplicating household objects before they broke would be useful, but she knew better now that something like that would _not_ be used in a way she would like. It was war; there would be mass weapon reproductions, more landships roaming the plains, and overall more efficient destruction. That fact that Jade called it forbidden simply gave her more reason to believe that it wasn't good. She hadn't been a fan of the idea when she first heard of it, but if the God-Generals were using it, that could not mean anything good. Regardess of who they were working for, it seemed like they were trying to instigate conflict between Malkuth and Kimlasca.

The blonde was drawn from her thoughts by the sudden crunching of leaves underneath a slow weight. Anise took one more tentative step towards the still-angry-looking Jade. "Colonel…" she said slowly, carefully, as if waiting for him to explode in fury. "You're actually really angry about something."

His expression changed instantly back into that carefree look he always had. "Pardon me," he apologized as he swiped his bangs out of his eyes, "I got carried away. I'm fine now, so let's hurry to Akzeriuth."

He headed towards the exit of Deo Pass, and all they others could do was follow in shocked silence.

They continued wordlessly for an unusual amount of time. She didn't know about the others, but Cass was stuck in her thoughts once more. The colonel had always made her uneasy almost as soon as they had begun travelling together, and this encounter with Legretta did nothing to ease any ill will she had towards him. In fact, her hesitance to trust him was just made worse. Yes, in terms of the war he seemed to want to prevent it, but there was much more than him than his current goal. And that name she called him? It was very ominous.

And then there was Ion! She adored the Fon Master, particularly after that talk they had days ago, but now he was saying the same vague things Jade did in the same way that bothered her. That short exchange the two of them had bothered her, even though she figured she could safely assume it was about fomicry. It just seemed like they wanted to keep that to themselves, despite the fact that the God-Generals were doing something with fomicry. That sort of information would likely be helpful if they crossed paths again, and neither Jade (expected) nor Ion appeared willing to divulge any more information. Anise didn't seem to know or she was being quiet about it. However, she was the Fon Master's guard; she would do as he asked and that would mean keep fomicry confidential if she knew about it.

Tear. Cass more or less enjoyed the Oracle Knight's company, but now it was apparent that she had strong ties with the God-Generals, or at least Legretta. They wanted her to join their cause, whatever it was, but she wasn't going to as long as she couldn't trust Van. What then, though? Van was helping with the war prevention effort. After this was over, would she join them and begin helping with whatever they were doing? It honestly wouldn't surprise Cass if Tear knew about the God-Generals' plans and was simply keeping quiet about it until she knew she had to stop her brother.

Cassia had already lost a lot of respect for Luke as well, and she looked down at her boots as she realized something. Even with the months of traveling they had done together, the fights they had watched one another's backs during, Cass just _couldn't_ trust these people like she thought she should be able to. They acted suspicious—Jade—or withheld information that would probably help in the future—at least Ion, perhaps Anise and Tear—or had ties that the blonde just couldn't overlook now that she knew about them—Tear. Luke she was just mad at, but that this moment, Natalia and Guy seemed like the only people with her that she could trust beyond a shadow of a doubt.

She didn't like that. Not one bit.

* * *

The group of eight was still relatively quiet by the time they exited Deo Pass. The silence, broken just by the sounds of nature didn't ease Cass's mind as they usually did. This time, it just made her all the more anxious. It bothered her, and she decided to break the quiet that surrounded her. Falling into step with Guy, she asked, "Guy… Legretta called Jade a necromancer… Can he really…" she trailed off, figured her friend would know what she meant. It didn't seem like the colonel could use the Seventh Fonon, and that's what healed people. Of course, this was Jade. Maybe he _could_ use the Seventh Fonon and just kept that to himself like he did everything else.

Guy put a finger to his chin thoughtfully, mulling over the question. "There have been a lot of rumors about Jade the Necromancer," he said quietly. Tear, Anise, and Luke picked up on it, but it didn't seem like Jade could tell they were talking about him.

"Yes, it's famous amongst the military," Tear said. "They story goes that he collects the corpses on the battlefield in an effort to revive the dead."

Cass held in a shiver. It sounded like something from one of the books Natalia enjoyed.

"There's even a rumor that says Malkuth's Forces' Third Division is made up of the living dead," Anise added. "When I actually met them, it turned out it wasn't true, but…"

"Creepy rumors to suit a creepy old man like Jade," Luke put in, not bothering to keep his voice down like the girls did. "Jade," he said, voice raising even more in volume, "there's something I've been wanting to know."

Jade glanced back at him, looking as he typically did. It was almost as if his outburst from a few hours ago didn't happen. "What is it?"

"Your spear just suddenly comes out of nowhere. How does that work?"

Cass found herself nodding in agreement, wanting to know as well. She's only seen him use it a few times, but figured it was just something you don't question, like how Anise used Tokunaga to fight. But now that it was brought up…

"It's a fusion arte that utilizes that contamination effect."

Now that it was brought up, it turned out the answer was something she couldn't understand anyway.

"The contami—" Luke paused. "What?"

Tear explained, "It's an effect where the fonons and elements of matter separate and refuse together."

Jade continued, "The fonons in living things and inorganic materials are different, as well as the elements that comprise them. Utilizing that difference, I temporarily fuse my spear into the outer layer of my right arm."

Cass blinked multiple times before she frowned. She didn't understand. Did that mean his spear 'didn't exist' one moment and, when he so desired, it 'existed' in another? Or was it actually part of his arm?

"And then you just take it out when you need it, huh?" Luke asked, and Cass sighed internally. Apparently he understood, but she still felt lost on the concept. Jade just nodded. "That's convenient."

"Don't tell me you want to try it too, Luke," Tear sighed. "Normally, the body rejects the effects, and it can cause mental damage, even insanity."

"Yeah. It takes an old man like this one to use it," Guy agreed lightheartedly.

Cass looked at him, decided to drop the contamination effect and file it away under things she would never truly understand. She looked back at Jade and frowned slightly. "You say that Jade's old, but surely he isn't much older than I am. Does that make me an… old woman?"

Anise coughed violently behind her. "I think you mean an 'old lady,' Cass."

The blonde didn't think the difference between 'woman' and 'lady' was significant, so it just must have been some colloquialism she didn't know. Cass just took note of the proper wording and continued to watch as Guy's face changed from almost neutral to increasingly appalled. "Of course not! You don't look old… and you don't talk about yourself like you are!"

"Guy," Natalia reprimanded, a disapproving look sent over to the servant. "It is rude to tell a woman she's old."

"But I didn't even say that!"

Tear just sent a short glance at the swordsman before facing the princess's attendant. "Does that mean you remembered your age, Cass?" she asked, ignoring Guy's vehement protests.

That was right! She had told Natalia while they were still on the ferry, but had neglected to tell anyone else. She didn't really think anyone aside from the princess, Guy, and maybe Luke would even care. "Yes," Cass nodded. "I believe I am twenty-three!"

"Wow, twenty-three?" Anise repeated, and Cass nodded once more. "You're older than Guy! But still not old lady material, I think."

"What makes you believe that's you age, if you don't mind?" Tear asked.

Cass didn't mind at all. "I believe I was in the outside of the desert oasis for my coming of age ceremony," she explained. "I think that… I was attacked during it, but I'm unsure of who did it." And she still didn't know who it was. It might have been someone she didn't know, someone unseen in her dream. "Also, from speaking with Ion and Guy, I think I may have lived around Daath."

"I'm glad you're making progress, Cass," Guy smiled. "It's been a lot more recently, too."

It had been, and while it was confusing at first, most things seemed to be connecting now. It was one positive thing in her life at the moment, and she would take what she could get.

In front of her, Luke turned his head slightly and sent her a glare. He faced forward once more with a scoff.


	16. The Breaking

**Disclaimer: **Tales of the Abyss and all characters therein do not belong to me. That honor goes to Namco Bandai. This story is for fun only, and I do not profit from it.

* * *

**Nederim**

Chapter 16 / The Breaking

_"For a star to be born, there is one thing that must happen: a gaseous nebula must collapse. So collapse. Crumble. This is not your destruction. This is your birth." - Neil deGrasse Tyson_

* * *

This was, without a doubt, the worst thing Cass had ever seen. People of all ages were lying lifelessly on the ground. There was screaming and crying—children trying to wake up their parents whose eyes would never open again. Some people were moving the corpses farther into the mine, so the young children wouldn't be able to see them. Others were helping transport the injured closer to the highest layer of the mining town, so people like Cass—sent to help—could evacuate everyone easier.

The dense purple haze from the miasma looked so much worse now that they were standing in Akzeriuth. Luke, Anise, and Cassia had already started coughing from the poison; all the citizens' breathing had become as ragged as their clothing from breathing it in for far too long.

And now Cass couldn't breathe. The air was thick—with the miasma or death she didn't really know—and each breath became more and more labored as the scene before her really began to be processed in her mind. The shuffling and crying and shouting seemed to become louder the longer she stood, absolutely frozen.

How could this have happened? How could this have gone on for so long? War or not, surely Malkuth's _people_ were more important than to just be left to their fate, suffocating, without any assistance. Cassia's eyes burned in a way they never had before, and she had to shut them to ease the sensation before it would permanently affect her eyesight. This wasn't the time to lose her vision.

Natalia was the first to get over the shock at the horrifying conditions of the town, quickly running towards a woman and her crying son to help them. She must have been saying something, there was a garbled noise that sounded vaguely like the princess, but Cass couldn't make it out. Her ears seemed to filter out anything that didn't help envelope the attendant in a veil of sorrow. The bright glow of the healing arte was dimmed through the miasma, but a bright spot in the abyss nonetheless. The woman didn't respond, at least in terms of movement, but surely she was still alive… she had to be.

"Hey, Natalia, get away from her. She's dirty and you might catch something," Luke told the princess. Cass tensed again. He was sent as a goodwill ambassador! Surely the situation must have been explained to him—he had to have known it would have been this bad! If Natalia was going to catch anything, it would be from the miasma, not the person she was trying to help.

"What are you talking about?" Natalia asked, not turning away from the woman she was still healing. Her voice was venomous. "What am I going to catch? Don't say such stupid things!"

Tear stayed calm. Turning to everyone else, still standing where they had been since seeing what was going on, she said, "Let's start transporting the people closer to the outskirts of the city, where the miasma is less concentrated." Directing her gaze away from the group and towards the way they had come into Akzeriuth, she continued. "Van's unit should be here. They'll move the people to a landship or some other mode of transportation."

But where were Van and his unit? Cassia saw a ship on the far side of Akzeriuth, opposite of Deo Pass, but no soldiers were roaming the town. She took a deep breath, only making her cough instead of calming her nerves, and nodded resolutely after the fit was over. She was here to help, so she would do what she could.

With Tear's orders repeating in her head like a mantra, Cass separated from the others to begin moving citizens. She wasn't very physically strong, but Cass could feel that the charm Natalia gave her was helping a little. She likely couldn't move any adults by herself, but children should be no issue. Moving deeper into the town, she found a boy by following a whimpering sound. He was small, with brown hair and a hat, and one of the boxes he seemed to be behind was on top of one of his legs. Without a word to him, she put as much strength as she could into moving the crate off of the boy.

She had to catch her breath for a moment after the box was moved, but spoke to the kid in between her gasping for air and subsequent coughing fits from not being able to inhale something that was clean. "Are you… all right?"

His eyes were red and he was pale, bleeding, and his leg was at an odd angle. He was clearly _not_ all right and the question just seemed to worsen his condition. He suddenly burst into tears, absolutely wailing, and Cass had no clue what to do. "I just want to go hooome!"

"I… don't know where that is. But I can help you get to somewhere that's safe."

He quieted down, tears still leaving clean trails on his dirt-stained skin. Sniffling, he said, "You have to promise to help my dad, too. I can't leave without him."

"Of course. I'll do everything I am able to do to help him. If I can't, I will find someone that can," she told him, meaning every word. She got down to his level, looking his leg over and not really knowing anything more than the fact that it was clearly broken. Taking her attention away from the injury, she made eye contact. "However, let's help you first. What's your name?"

"… John," he answered quietly. "Are you a Seventh Fonist?"

"John," Cass repeated. "My name is Cass. I'm not a fonist, but a few of the people with me are. They can help you after I bring you to them." She looked him over once again, not really sure how to handle his leg. "This may… hurt a bit. I apologize, but I will try to be as gentle as I can."

With that and a nod from John, she put an arm underneath the bend in the knee of both legs, and hoisted him up, using the other arm to support his back. It felt inconvenient, now that she couldn't use her arms for anything else, but aside from a slight wince John didn't seem to mind. Going back the way she had come, Cass asked him about his father, so she could make it her priority to help him next. Henry was his name, and he looked similar to John according to the boy. He worked in the mine, so she would need to go there quickly in order to keep her promise.

They made it back to the others safely, and, once she was able to, Tear healed his leg as much as she was able. With that, Cass assisted John in hobbling over to the outskirts of the city, where Van's unit _should_ have been stationed. She just couldn't find anyone that was part of it. She left him with the other injured people and a few others from the town that were helping, telling him once more than she would find his father and bring him back.

She stayed with the citizens for a minute, taking in the cleaner air. Just being where she found John made breathing difficult, and it was clear that the lower into Akzeriuth you went, the worse the air quality became. She didn't know how she would handle going to where the mines were, but she needed to get there.

Cass was on her way back to the others with another hurt child—this one not nearly as bad off as John was—when an older looking man came up to Luke, asking if he was part of the help sent from Kimlasca. Cass joined them when she heard the question, letting the little girl make her way out of Akzeriuth now that she was almost there. Luke tried to form a response, but wasn't able to answer the man. Natalia had to handle the situation.

According to the man, the miasma was thickest in Mining Shaft 14, and that was where Van and most of his vanguard were currently. That was good; Cass was getting worried when she couldn't find anyone. When the man said that there were a lot of miners trapped there, her interest was even further piqued. She still hadn't run into someone that met Henry's description, and she hoped that she would be able to find him in the mine shaft. The exposure to the miasma would be much worse, but she had to keep her promise to John!

The man walked away, and the group waited until all eight people were gathered again before descending into the lowest layers of the mining town. Before they could enter the mine shaft, a pair of Oracle Knights called out for Tear. She excused herself from the group, talked in hushed tones with the two knights.

"I'm sorry," she apologized the moment she came back. "It's my mission from Grand Maestro Mohs." She turned back to the soldiers. "Please, lead the way."

As Tear vanished from sight, Jade said, "Well, that can't be helped. At least Natalia is still here to help heal whoever is trapped in the mine shaft." Like Henry. Cass needed to be on the lookout for John's father.

The farther and farther into the mine they went, the thicker the miasma was. Cass's eyes were burning to the point where she was squinting nearly the entire time, and her throat was beginning to hurt. Every once in a while they'd see a body, and Natalia would rush to their side… only for them to already have died from overexposure to the poisonous gas. These were the moments that Cass would fully open her eyes; she had to make sure none of them fit Henry's description.

At the very end of the mine shaft was a glimmer of hope. There were so many people, but they were somehow alive! Everyone went to take care of a separate miner; even Ion helped Natalia with the healing. Cass, being unable to move any of the men by herself, simply went to one with dark hair first, looked him over for any injuries, asked who he was. She'd take care of any injuries she was able to, then pointed him out to Natalia or Ion so they could be fully healed.

Continuing to the next man, she caught a glance of Luke, who wasn't helping as the others were. Instead, he stood there, looking around with a scared expression. Doing as he did, she took another sweeping glance around the area, not seeing anything different from the moment they entered.

Disregarding Luke, Cassia knelt at the side of the next dark haired man, going through the same procedure with him as she did the first. As she wrapped his leg as best as she could, he answered her question with the answer she had been looking for: "Henry."

Pausing her work, she met his gaze with wide eyes, asked, "Do you have a son named John?"

"Is he all right?!" was the immediate response. He didn't even wait for a reply before trying to get back onto his feet, only to collapse from the injury and begin coughing. Cassia tried to sit him up, managed to with Henry assisting, and called Natalia over.

"John is fine," Cass told him as Natalia rushed over. The princess sat at the attendant's side, not even asking anything and just healing the moment she was able to. "He was hurt, but he isn't anymore. I left him with the vanguard. He's waiting for you."

"He's outta this hell hole?" Henry questioned and Cass nodded. "Thank _Yulia_. The miasma was never a problem before, it barely started up after he came here ta visit." Natalia stopped healing Henry's leg for a moment, asked him if he well enough to move with support. The miner moved his leg around, wincing. "It'll be good, thanks," he said. Natalia smiled at him and nodded before standing and moving onto someone else.

Cass stood up as well; ready to help Henry out of the mines and to his son. Henry didn't stand up though, instead he just held out his hand. "Hey, can ya help me up?" She did as he asked, and he almost fell on her after she pulled him to his feet. Luckily they were able to steady his footing before that happened.

"Let's move you to the…" Cass trailed off, not knowing the name for the object they were using to move people around. "Over there," she decided on, gesturing broadly to where healed, but unable to move on their own, men waited. Together, they moved across the open space without any problems. She helped him onto the contraption, already full and ready to be carried out of the mine. She just needed someone to help her move them now.

"Hey," Henry started, grabbing Cass's arm before she was able to move too far away. "Thank you for helpin' John," he said. "He shouldn't've been caught up in all'a this. _Thank you. _Now help these other men before you get us all out, ya hear?"

"Yes, I do," she responded as he let go of her arm. "However, I promised John that I would help you. I'm going to start moving you from the mine now."

Stepping away from the healed miners, Cassia looked around for her companions. Luke and Ion were nowhere to be seen, which she thought was odd but couldn't dwell on it. Anise's Tokunaga was already carrying at least four men and wouldn't be able to help. Guy was helping Natalia's patients move, and so she turned to her last resort, who was wrapping up injuries infinitely better than she did.

"Jade, this… it can't carry any more people. We should move them," Cass said, jogging up to the colonel.

Jade looked away from his work but continued to wrap the injury up expertly. He finished and stood, saying, "You're right. Let's go."

There were three men on the contraption, and she was a little wary about how well just she and Jade could move them, but it turned out that it eased some of the weight they were lifting. She would have thought she wouldn't be much help, and she'd need to be replaced by Guy, but that didn't seem to be the case. No one spoke as the colonel and attendant helped the men out of the mines, but that only made the clashing of swords above them more apparent.

Jade and Cass caught each other's eye the moment they realized that it was _fighting_ they were hearing above them, not just the chaotic environment that was happening as people were evacuating the town. She felt as if it would be best to leave the men momentarily before reaching the mouth of the mine, just in case something bad was happening outside, and she hoped Jade was thinking the same thing. These miners were people he was supposed to protect. He (hopefully) wouldn't put them in harm's way.

"W-wait one moment, please," Cass breathed out, barely even halfway through the tunnel. Jade did stop like she requested. She had to set down her side of the carrier, before doubling over and coughing roughly into her hand.

"Hey… You feelin' all right?" Henry asked tentatively. Cass nodded vigorously, stood straight and was about to tell him yes, she was fine. But she broke out into another coughing fit.

There was a sharp slap to her back and Cass stayed hunched over, just turning her head to see who had hit her. Jade. "Do you think you can continue?"

It didn't matter if she could. She _had _to. It was just exertion mixed with the miasma. There was nothing wrong with her; she would just need to take it easier instead of rushing to help.

Cass coughed twice more into her hand before wiping her mouth with her sleeve. She froze before she managed to stand straight, a bright splash of red catching her attention.

Blood.

She looked at her palm discreetly, halfway hidden in her long, billowing sleeve. Cass's eyes widened as she caught sight of the same substance that stained her clothes on her hand. The miasma was not doing her health any favors.

Cass wiped at her mouth once more, grabbing the inside of her sleeve with her hand and did her best to smear the blood on the inside of the sleeve without moving too much. "I _will_ help these people out of here," she finally answered Jade. This wasn't a matter of being able to or willingness to do something, Cass just _had_ to.

Jade just looked at her for a moment, his eyes even darting towards the sleeve that she was still holding on to. There was hardly any blood on the outside of it; he couldn't attribute that to her coughing. "I see," was all he said. "Let's be on our way."

They resumed their work, this time at a much slower pace. Cass's breathing was still heavy and labored. The sounds of weapons clashing and people shouting was getting louder with every passing moment, and it made Cass anxious. She had no idea what could be causing the fighting.

"Let's stop for a moment," Jade suggested suddenly, and she immediately obliged, setting down her side of the contraption. He walked over to her and in a quiet voice said, "We need to scout ahead and make sure that nothing will interfere when we bring these men out of the mines."

She stared at him for a moment, fully trying to take in what he meant. When she realized what it was, she frowned. He was planning on making sure that whoever was causing the fight was… no longer able to do so. And if he had his way, she doubted he would simply knock them unconscious.

It needed to be done, and she understood that. She just didn't want it to be that way. "I understand," was all she said.

Jade nodded and turned back to the miners. "Cass and I are going to survey ahead, to make sure we can transport you to the vanguard safely," he told them, "We'll return shortly."

The men all gave some sort of sound of acknowledgement, and without saying anything else the pair hurried through the mine shaft. Occasionally debris would fall on them, and they'd pick up their pace until it made Cassia break into a fit of coughs. They'd stop for a moment then, but not for as long as she needed to. She just didn't want to make the men sit in the miasma any longer than necessary.

"Colonel!" They heard her voice before they saw her. Tear came rushing forward, stopped in front of both of them.

"Tear, what's wrong?" Jade questioned. Tear took a deep breath and explained quickly.

"It's my brother! The vanguard was killed and it was all a trap to get me away from here!"

Time seemed to stop. The vanguard was killed?! There were a few soldiers when she dropped John off with them. What happened? How did they die?

What about John? Was he killed?

"Hey, if you don't stop standing around, that dreck will kill us all!" another voice shouted. A blur of black and red rushed past the trio, some sort of monster trailing after him. Tear followed him with her gaze before breaking back out into a run. Jade and Cass ran after them, not really sure what was going on.

"Asch told me about it," Tear began. They passed the group of miners with just a short acknowledgement of 'we'll return shortly.' "It's Van, he plans to destroy Akzeriuth!"

Cass halted for just a second before racing towards the bottom of the mine with even more haste, adrenaline helping her surge forward. She didn't really understand what was going on, but if Tear was listening to whatever one of the God-Generals was telling her, she had to put her faith in it. She couldn't even begin to come up with ways that Van might be able to single-handedly destroy a town, but she wasn't going to just ignore something this serious, especially when she was here to _help_ all these people! Henry was going to make it out of here, _alive_, and bring John back to his home. Everyone was going to make it.

She wouldn't settle for anything less than that.

They made it to the end of the mine, Asch no longer anywhere in sight, but Tear turned a corner and went through a small opening in the wall face. Jade and Cassia went after her.

They seemed to be transported into an entirely different place. Everything was so bright it hurt; the sudden shaking made it hard to even see what was happening. Where was everyone? In here?

Cass steadied herself, trying to focus on one thing at once. Locate the others. Jade and Tear were near her. Ion, Anise and Natalia were close to the edge of the yellow platform. Van was in the air, on a monster, the other held Luke—no, that was Asch! Where was Luke?!

Guy sprinted down the transparent walkway and, right at the bottom, there was Luke. He wasn't moving. The shaking was getting worse. Pieces of the glass-like walkway were falling and breaking. Guy—carrying Luke—met everyone halfway, avoiding falling rock and anything else and stepping away from anything that was about to fall.

Cass couldn't breathe.

Is this what Tear meant by Van destroying Akzeriuth? Was the entire town crumbling to pieces like this alien environment that surrounded her?

The shaking became stronger and stronger.

What was going to happen to John and Henry and the others? What was going to happen to _them—_to _her?_

Tear shouted something but Cass didn't even hear what she said. She didn't know what moved her around; the earth quaking or someone shoving her around. It could have been either or both. The ground fractured below their feet.

There was a shimmer all around, and then the ground beneath them collapsed.

Everything went black—had she closed her eyes? She didn't know. All she knew was that it felt like she was getting crushed—like there was too much water around her, and she couldn't push her way to the surface. And, if it was water, it was too hot. Much, much too hot, like coal tar. Her throat burned like it had been set on fire and she couldn't breathe, couldn't inhale and quench the fire that was burning her from the inside and couldn't do anything about the inferno that surrounded her, suffocated her. And it _hurt._ Air rushed passed her, being broken by her fall, doing nothing to soothe the flames that seemed to devour her and hurt her and she just wanted it to stop.

It didn't end and the inferno was fed, the temperature increasing, searing her more than before. Thunder crashed in the distance. Rocks slammed into other rocks, but it felt like they hit her instead, even though that was impossible. There was an occasional splash and sizzle, like her own flesh being melted, and it felt like that's what was happening. It was wrong, this shouldn't be happening. No one should be screaming, she shouldn't be burning. The world wasn't crumbling to pieces, she wasn't dying but it wouldn't stop hurting and _there was nothing that she could do. She couldn't move to stop the pain and please, please, she just wanted the pain to stop. _She wanted the screams to stop, for the slaughter to stop, for _everything, please, just end she couldn't handle any more of this-!_

She hit the ground and could breathe, but not for long. All too soon did the air, a sweet and welcome reprieve, become fuel for the fire inside, and she burned.

The fire consumed her, and it was only when her senses shut down that Cassia was given sanctuary.


	17. Under Grey Skies

**Disclaimer: **Tales of the Abyss and all characters therein do not belong to me. That honor goes to Namco Bandai. This story is for fun only, and I do not profit from it.

* * *

**Nederim**

Chapter 17 / Under Grey Skies

_"There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature." - Jane Austen_

* * *

To say Natalia was worried would be an understatement.

In such a short amount of time she witnessed the decimation of an entire city—one she was meant to help, to keep anyone else from dying in the conditions there. Just trying to find safety afterwards was difficult enough, but she also made it her duty to heal those that were unconscious.

And it was only seven others.

After the fall, Natalia was only able to help seven people, compared to the countless others she was not even given the opportunity to think about saving.

She didn't know if those that she had healed before venturing into the mines had made it, but she had a strong feeling no one did. The few soldiers that were there before the fall had been killed. Whoever committed such an atrocity must have killed all the citizens that were there as well.

Then there was Luke—her fiancé. She wasn't in the mood for blaming people when he brought up the subject of who was at fault; all she wanted to do was find a way to safety. To get out of the Qliphoth, to make sure Akzeriuth's collapse wasn't used as a catalyst for war. She didn't want to discuss it, it wasn't important, but she couldn't simply remain silent when he refused to take responsibility. It wasn't solely on his shoulders, she knew that, Luke would _never_ want to do something that would purposefully harm people. But he did, and refused to acknowledge the role he played in it.

The collapse wasn't only Luke's fault. She couldn't help but feel she was partly accountable when he refused to accept responsibility. She had essentially raised him, and she was part of the reason he behaved the way he did. She was particularly harsh towards him ever since they left Chesedonia as well, and that likely only drove Luke farther away from her. Dealing with him was as easy as walking away, but that didn't change the situation they found themselves in, or who she found out he was.

For the past seven years, it turned out he wasn't even who she thought he was. A replica? She knew what they were, but for some reason her mind was having a difficult time actually processing the word. Luke—if he could even be called that—was never her fiancé. He was never engaged to her. And, despite her efforts, he would never remember their promise because he had never made it. He was born only seven years ago and Asch—the _real_ Luke—was here now, helping her and most of the others leave the Qliphoth and return to the Outer Lands.

Luke—the real one—was different, but still inherently the same as she remembered. Red hair and green eyes that were a little colder than she recalled, face set in an expression that was more serious and more harsh than it ever was when they were children. It was an expression that reminded her of her uncle, his father, and it was something that never appeared on the replica's face. And he remembered. He didn't openly acknowledge that he did, but Natalia just _knew_ that he did. After all, how could he not? He joined the Oracle Knights and became a God-General for a reason, and what other reason could he have other than to fulfill their promise? She was proud of him, missed him dearly, and wished they could have reunited under better circumstances.

That brought Natalia back to where she currently stood, straight and serious and not giving any outward sign of nervousness or worry, next to the Fon Master. Luke, Guy, Jade, and Anise prepared to use whatever was left of the Akzeriuth Sephiroth to propel the Tartarus back to the Outer Lands. Tear stayed in Yulia City—her mission was complete and she had no real reason to return to the surface—and the replica was with her, unconscious and not looking any closer to waking up the last time she checked. Cassia would have stayed with them, but at the recommendation of Tear and her grandfather, Teodoro, they brought the unconscious attendant with them.

It was simply coughing at first; Natalia was aware of that, but didn't think anything of it as Anise and Luke were coughing occasionally as well. Then it became worse. Jade mentioned that she was coughing up blood before the fall and was oddly weak and slow when attempting to transport the miners with him. Cassia wouldn't wake up after the fall, no matter how many artes they used, or how long she stayed in Yulia City.

She was sick, they said, from the miasma. While Yulia City was protected with Dawn Age technology, the two Grants' advised taking her back to the Outer Lands, where she wouldn't risk further exposure. She needed a doctor, mostly. Cassia was still unresponsive, like she had been since the collapse, but she was still breathing steadily, and that was all Natalia wanted. For Cassia to stay alive. She didn't want to lose _anyone_, least of all someone so important to her.

Natalia felt terrible. She _noticed_ that her friend was not feeling well; she had been coughing so much the moment they were close to the mining town. And what did the princess do? Continue moving forward, not even thinking about what the miasma could be doing to her friend. The people of Akzeriuth were of course her top priority, but she should have made sure that Cassia was feeling well, or forced her to not work herself too hard. She couldn't have foreseen that Cassia would react as badly as she did—there was no way for that, otherwise she would have found a way to join Luke, the replica, without her help. Natalia didn't know, and that was fine. But she could have done something that wouldn't have risked her dearest friend's health, maybe even her life.

It was bad, Natalia knew that. And she didn't know what to do. The fall, fomicry, Cassia… it was too much. She couldn't even begin to imagine the state of Auldrant now that Akzeriuth had vanished from the map. There was almost nothing she could do… but what she could do was attempt to prevent war, saying that the destruction of Akzeriuth wasn't caused by Malkuth or Kimlasca—that it was simply a horrible accident.

"How is this going to work again?" Anise's voice sounded. Natalia looked over at the Oracle Knight, frowning. She, too, had doubts about the method of transportation. Teodoro and the colonel seemed to think it would work, as did Asch—Luke, she reminded herself—and all she could do was put her faith in it.

"The fonic device that Teodoro attached to the Tartarus is going to stimulate Akzeriuth's Sephiroth. It should raise the Sephiroth just enough to get us to the Outer Lands before it falls again," Jade explained. Even with his authoritative voice, sounding confident in the plan, Natalia still felt like the plan was too… fantastical to work. She _needed_ to return to the Outer Lands, though, and if this was the only way to go back, she would put her faith in it.

Natalia looked around uneasily, ignoring the red stains on the floor of the Tartarus. She couldn't do anything in regards to getting the dreadnaught to the site of the collapse, and, until she returned to the Outer Lands, she wasn't able to prevent the outbreak of war. Her father must be worried about her… she needed to return and let him know she was safe.

Unable to think of something she could assist with, Natalia headed off the bridge, towards the sleeping quarters. There was still some time before they would be close to the Sephiroth, and she wasn't helping anyone by standing on the bridge. She would check on Cassia, make sure she was still all right. Opening the door quietly, as if afraid she'd wake up the person inside, Natalia peered through the crack in the door. There was no change. Cassia hadn't even turned in her sleep.

The princess stepped into the room quietly, making her way to the chair that was placed to the right of the bed. Somehow Cassia was even more pale that she already was, but at least she was no longer screaming. That had been horrifying, to put it lightly. The moment they landed in the Qliphoth she wouldn't stop crying and writhing around, like she was in pain, until Jade finally hit her over the head so they would be able to move her into the Tartarus without anyone getting hurt. Natalia had nearly smacked him for that, but it was definitely the right choice to make.

"This reminds me of the first time we spoke in Baticul," Natalia said, even though it wasn't likely she could hear. Silence filled the room once more, and Natalia broke it with a healing arte. "You had a bit more color to you, but it took you a long time before you woke up then as well. For the longest time I thought that Captain Carnelian was simply shirking his duties, but that was not the case. You just… sleep for a long time, I suppose."

Cassia did not respond, as expected, nor did she react in any way. Natalia swallowed thickly. "I had no idea that the miasma would affect you like this, Cassia. If I had, please know that I would _never_ put you through this. You are one of my dearest friends, and I want you to be healthy."

There was another round of silence, and no one made any motion to fill it. It was simply Natalia keeping her friend company, even if she wasn't aware of the fact. Minutes passed before the Tartarus finally came to a halt. They must have reached the site of the collapse. Natalia stood, straightening the blanket that covered Cassia and pulled it up to her chin, almost like she was tucking a child in. "We will be back in the Outer Lands soon, so please recover quickly. I'm unsure about where our destination is, but I will bring you to a doctor the moment I'm able. I'll need your support to keep my country from declaring war, after all."

She looked towards the door. The others might be waiting on her to return before beginning the plan. "I'll return soon," she assured her friend, turning away and walking back to the bridge. The windows in the front of the Tartarus assured Natalia that they did indeed stop. Though nothing was around to show that this is where Akzeriuth would be, it had to be the site of the collapse. Jade activated the fonic device, and stems of light surrounded the ship. They came from right under the Tartarus, making the landship surge upward into the air. Occasionally the dreadnaught would become unbalanced and fall off the memory particles that carried it upwards, but there would be a bed right under, and the rocky ride delivered the party to their destination. The brilliance of the Sephiroth's leftover memory particles lit up the beautiful blue sky before slowing fading.

Seeing the sky once more nearly left Natalia stunned into silence, and by the quiet that surrounded her, she would have to assume that the others were just as awestruck as she was. "Though I've been to the Qliphoth, I still cannot believe we are floating in the air…"

Anise nodded slowly in agreement. "Yeah, I know. But now that we're back up here, where should we go?"

Natalia knew where she wanted to go: Baticul. Returning to the capital of her kingdom would be the quickest way to put an end to any talks of war. Not only that, but she knew the finest doctors in the city. If war was the only thing to worry about, she would have voiced her opinions immediately. However, the collapse of Akzeriuth was premediated, and if Van had plans to do more than just destroy a single city, that would have to take precedence.

"I misunderstood Van's original intentions," Asch—Luke—said. "In order to understand his actual plan, we need to uncover his activities. He often visited Fon Machine Lab I in Belkend. We're going there first."

Excellent. Adjacent to the lab was a doctor whom Natalia knew she could trust beyond a shadow of a doubt. Nodding thoughtfully in agreement with the God-General's plan, Natalia said, "Guy, please help me move Cassia before we disembark in the port. We need to get her to a doctor."

Before Guy could even reply (and say he wasn't able to because of his phobia), Luke cut in. "She's staying on the Tartarus, Natalia. We can't carry around dead weight."

Natalia crossed her arms over her chest. His point was valid, but she would not back down from bringing her friend with. She _needed_ a doctor. "I believe she will recover smoothly now that she is out of the Qliphoth. A doctor can check her as we examine the lab, and then she will join us. She can help us uncover Van's plan faster than if we left her."

The God-General completely abandoned the attention he was giving his controls to give the princess a cold glare. Natalia simply met his gaze, unwavering. "More people are going to die the longer it takes me to stop Van! Are you really saying you'll risk _countless_ people's _lives_ because your friend _might_ recover by the time we get to Belkend?" Natalia was about the retort, but the redhead simply continued forward, more vehement than before. "Miasma poisoning isn't just something that disappears once you're away like allergies, Natalia. Unless those fonons are physically removed, she'll stay that way. We don't have time to deal with a lost cause."

Natalia didn't even flinch. She didn't know that about the miasma; Tear and Teodoro made it seem that Cassia would simply get better once she was back in the Outer Lands, but based on what he was saying now, she would just not get any worse. It was possible that Asch—Luke—was being completely truthful, but she didn't want to just take his words at face value—not when it involved her friend's life. And if Luke still remembered his promise, she felt that he would be more worried about the status of war before uncovering Van's plan. It was possible they still had time before the battles officially begun. She hadn't been in the Qliphoth for long—Akzeriuth's destruction would likely be known throughout Auldrant, but possible causes could still be thought up. She had time. She _had_ to have time.

"The distance between the port and Belkend is only a few day's walk," Natalia countered. "Bringing her to the city will _hardly_ slow us down. If she is still unconscious by the time we leave Belkend," which _was not _an option, "then we will leave her there." That wouldn't be the case, however; she knew it. So if that was the deal she would have to strike, then so be it. It would end in her favor regardless.

"I would have thought since you left that dreck in Yulia City would be fine with leaving behind all dead weight. Is sacrificing your soldiers worth the price of helping one person that won't ever recover?"

"I am sacrificing no one," Natalia told him evenly. "And Cassia _will _get better."

* * *

Asch acquiesced to Natalia's demands. Not that he necessarily had a choice. He was completely adamant about leaving Cassia on the Tartarus while they went to Belkend, but seemed to underestimate Natalia. They arrived at the port late at night and decided to stay the night. During this time Natalia went back to the Tartarus, grabbed her friend, and carried her to the inn herself. Come daybreak, she was the first down in the lobby, her attendant still unconscious in the chair next to her. Jade and Anise appeared to be amused about this, but Natalia paid them no heed. Guy seemed to agree with her decision, as did the Fon Master, and the former apologized about his phobia, saying that he wished he would be able to help more than he could. Natalia accepted the apology, but didn't worry. She would bring Cassia to the doctor herself if she had to. She had nearly done it before, during the Battle of Northern Chesedonia. This would just be a longer version of that day.

Luke was the only person to negatively react to the princess's actions; his expression soured moreso than usual and he wasted no time before saying that he would refuse to help move Cassia around. Whlie she would have preferred to have Luke's assistance, sometimes she needed to bargain. It wouldn't matter. She could handle this.

The first day was simple. Everyone else took care of whatever monsters crossed their path with ease; it was a rare occasion that Natalia had to heal someone. True to his word, Luke refused to help Natalia. He would fight like it was a chore, cooked a single meal that, while not nearly as bad as Natalia's cooking, was rather bland but otherwise edible. Anise, Ion, and Guy did nothing to help the princess's cause, but that was expected. Jade made no effort either, but in the back of her mind Natalia somewhat expected that. She just didn't know if it was because he was lazy or if he enjoyed seeing other people try something he thought he could do more efficiently.

Cassia's condition did not improve by the second day. It worried Natalia, but that did not slow her down. She was much more exhausted than she thought she would be, but she still managed to carry her attendant to the west with little trouble. The day seemed longer but there were fewer monsters attacking, and Natalia was happy when they settled down for the night. Anise cooked that night, creating a lovely cheese dish, and Natalia knew it was the Oracle Knight's way of supporting her. She would have never thought that they would get along after their first encounter in the old factory, but she was glad to have been proven wrong on that front.

By the third day carrying around the extra weight was no longer a problem. Her body became used to this sort of exertion, and she was able to heal more readily if her abilities were needed. Her attendant started to move that night, but it was nothing to be excited about. All she would do was writhe in agony, as if she was back in the Qliphoth, and wouldn't stop for the longest time. Healing artes helped a little, but Natalia simply wasn't able to keeping using the Seventh Fonon for the duration of her episodes. Belkend was nearly on the horizon; they should arrive sometime tomorrow. They were almost there.

The fourth day brought Belkend to the horizon in the early morning, and by midday they finally arrived in the city. Natalia went straight to Fon Machine Lab I, and into the medical center there. The renowned Doctor Shu was there and he had no problems with taking Cassia in. The exchange took less than five minutes, and it was not long before Natalia left the medical center and caught up with everyone else.

Asch had marched them straight into the Replica Facility, clearly having a destination in mind. Going through a pair of sliding metals doors led everyone into the office of an old, balding man, wearing the attire that most of the researchers in the city wore. Natalia didn't recognize him—was expecting the God-General to lead them to a place that related to Van instead.

"Luke?" the researcher asked, eyes shining with surprise from behind his thick glasses. "No… you're Asch."

He scoffed in reply and looked down on the old man. "So the traitor to Kimlasca still has the impudence to stay in this city?"

Natalia stiffened. She didn't know who this man was, but if what Asch was saying was true, then she should do something about this. "What do you mean by 'traitor?'" she asked.

The God-General tilted his head back to look at the princess, gesturing broadly to the researcher. "Spinoza here was involved with my kidnapping. He's one of the people that created my replica."

That still didn't necessarily deem him a traitor to her country, but Jade quickly brought more reason to light, saying, "Don't tell me… you're the one who broke the ban on fomicry?"

Asch nodded, "It's just as you thought, Jade."

The man—Spinoza—seemed surprised by Jade's being here, but the colonel ignored him. "Using fomicry on living beings is supposed to be forbidden."

Spinoza shook his head wildly. "Any fomicry researcher longs to try it at least once!" he claimed, and it was despicable. Natalia frowned at the man—how could someone simply toy with a living creature—with Luke? It was right, even Jade said that it was forbidden. "Besides," he continued, further attempting to justify his actions, "you're no different, Jade Curtiss! Or, should I said, Dr. Jade Balfour: the father of fomicry!"

Natalia pursed her lips, but didn't even attempt to keep the shock from her expression. She had not expected _that_ at all. This man standing next to her, whom she had been attempting to assist for a month, created fomicry? All of Luke's anguish, in a way, could be traced back to Jade Curtiss? "I won't deny it; I developed the theory behind fomicry," Jade acknowledge. Spinoza opened his mouth to say continue, but Jade did not give him the opportunity. "I am aware of the mistake I made. That's why I forbade it. Just because I've committed the same crime doesn't mean I will let you off easily. As a fomicry researcher, you should be aware of the technical problems with the replication of living things."

His words eased Natalia's mind, because at least he realized that what he was doing was not right. Other people—she returned her attention to Spinoza—still had to learn that some things shouldn't be done apparently. The researcher himself was at a loss for words after the colonel's lecture. He tried again, feebly, "I, I only assisted with Van's preservation project!"

"'Preservation project?'" Asch repeated. "What are you talking about?"

He took a step back. "You mean you didn't know?" Spinoza questioned. "Then, forget I said anything!"

"Explain!" the redhead yelled, putting a gloved hand on his sword, but Spinoza reacted quickly. Before the blade was even drawn, he pushed past his chair, running through an open door. A glyph appeared not even seconds after he disappeared. Going through the glyph proved futile.

Jade took a moment to rifle through the papers scattered across the researcher's desk. "It looks like they need the mineral fonimin to produce replicas," he said, looking over a piece of paper. "It's mined from the Ortion Cavern on Radessia."

"So, we're _not_ chasing after that Spinoza guy?" Anise asked, and the colonel shook his head.

"No, he didn't leave any clues about the preservations project he mentioned. However, there's enough here to give us an idea about where to go next."

"We're going to the Ortion Cavern next, then," Asch announced, already heading out of the office.

"I'll be happy to assist you, Luke, but I need to see Cassia first," Natalia told him.

"I'm going to be getting off here, too," Guy said. That quieted any reply the God-General would have given the princess. Instead, he looked towards the blond and asked him for his reasons. "I'm worried about Luke," he replied. "I have to go back for him."

"I can't believe you!" Anise huffed. "Just forget about that idiot."

Guy shook his head. "It's because he's an idiot that I'm worried about him. Besides," he continued, "I believe he can get over this."

"But, Guy," Natalia began, "that isn't… the real Luke. _This_ is the real Luke."

"This might be the real Luke," he said, "but my best friend is that idiot."

It was then that Guy's decision made perfect sense to Natalia. Bonds forged through time and experience, like the replica Luke and Guy—or her and Cassia—were not something that could be broken easily. They had gone through too much together, and they had to support one another in their times of distress. And Natalia wished that she was able to. As it stood now, however, she didn't want to hurt her friend any more than she already had.

Guy left with only a few more words, heading towards Aramis Spring. He went alone and Natalia didn't bother trying to stop him for Luke's sake. She likely wouldn't have stopped if she was in his position and didn't have other duties to perform.

"I'm going to the hospital now, Luke," Natalia told him after a moment, about to walk off with or without his permission.

"Don't call me by that name," he said. "It's no longer mine. And don't take too long."

Anise and Ion said they wanted to see her too, but Natalia told them that she wanted a moment alone with the doctor. They listened to her, and the princess entered the medical facility by herself. Dr. Shu greeted her and she didn't waste a second before demanding to know what her friend's condition was.

"It's a case of miasma poisoning. Typically what occurs is that, when someone uses fonic artes in an area that is affected by the miasma, the miasma attaches to the fonons and is absorbed by the body," he explained. "There have been a few cases of this in the Rugnica Plains, sometimes even Daath, so as long as she limits her fonic artes in contaminated areas she should be fine."

"But… Cassia is not a fonist," Natalia told him. "The entire time I've known her, she has not used a single fonic arte by drawing fonons into her body. She only ever used residual fonons from our companions' fonic artes."

The doctor hummed thoughtfully. "That is interesting… Most, if not all, cases of this were caused by contamination fonons being absorbed into the body. If that's the case, then it's likely she has simply been breathing in the miasma for far too long. Do you know if this is the case?"

Natalia shook her head. "I do not." Was it possible that Cassia was also from the Qliphoth? Then, how would she have gotten to the Outer Lands, in the middle of the desert? It didn't seem plausible. And wouldn't it be likely that Tear would recognize her? Yulia City was rather small, even with the residential quarter being considered. "Is there anything that you can do for her?" she asked.

"I can prescribe a medicine for any pain she's in when she wakes up," he told her. "She's been responsive, but still hasn't woken up. I would imagine that being away from the conditions that brought her to the hospital should help her quite a bit, and there's a high probability that she will recover swimmingly. Aside from that, further exposure could put her back into this condition."

"I see," said Natalia. For the most part, this was wonderful news! Cassia would be just fine soon enough and almost everything would be well again. Some things she couldn't fix, but this was something she was able to. "I have duties to attend to, Doctor, but I thank you for your help. Is Cassia able to rest here until she recovers? Of course, I will cover any costs."

"Of course," he answered. "All patients can stay here as long as they need to."

The princess nodded. "I see. Thank you again. Now, may I have a moment? I need to write her a message before I leave."

Dr. Shu let Natalia spend a minute with her friend, and she wrote a note during the time. Anise and Ion came in not too long after she started, but she concentrated on letting Cassia know what had happened since the collapse of Akzeriuth. It was almost too much to put onto the amount of paper she was given, but she managed. Natalia finished the letter and gave it to one of the nurses, as the doctor seemed to have other obligations to deal with.

With a last farewell, Natalia, Ion, and Anise exited the medical facility and joined Asch and Jade.


	18. All the Evil in the World

**Disclaimer: **Tales of the Abyss and all characters therein do not belong to me. That honor goes to Namco Bandai. This story is for fun only, and I do not profit from it.

* * *

**Nederim**

Chapter 18 / All the Evil in the World

_He said, "Just sign your name across the dotted line and take advantage of the goods I have to offer. It won't cost you much—just a single drop of blood—and I'll hand you the things you have long been wishing for. It's an easy way to choose, what do you have to lose?" – Krypteria_

* * *

_Cass hates that old factory in Baticul. The ferries and boats she had been in recently left her uncomfortable, the small reprieve of the situation being that she was surrounded by the ocean; the calming waves gently caressing the sides of the vessel, as if rocking a baby to sleep. Here, though? She cannot see anything nor does she want to. That brief glimpse of her new surroundings is enough to make her want to gouge out her eyes. It had to be impossible for there to be any sort of redemption in this hell. It's deprived of everything that made life worth living. It's a poisonous, desolate, bleak vision that was so, _so_ much worse than the factory that took something pure—an innocent spider—and twisted and corrupted it until it was no longer natural._

_Cassia's skin is freezing, that unbearable, sticky heat that she remembers once stuck to her like the plague long gone. Now the water is a cold, unyielding hand that pushes her down until she cannot move, freezes her to that point where, even if the pressure disappeared, she would still be frozen in place. It's wrong, this feeling. The sea used to help her, why is it hurting her how? Why is it so much colder than she always imagined it being? Where is the sunlight? _

_There is no sunlight, no pleasant sounds of the world around her. Just thunder and the world crumbling and the echoing cries of people she was sent to help falling to their deaths. Was Akzeriuth still collapsing around her, were people still making their way to this hellscape, only to meet an end she was beginning to wish she was given?_

_She feels sick. This is so, so wrong._

_Cassia doesn't know what she's done to deserve this. Could it be something that she did in the past, something that was still a mostly blank void to her? Was her memory loss her way of coping with the fact that she had done something so horrible that, now that she was in hell itself, the sins of her past were finally revealing themselves to her?_

_She refuses to believe that she had done something in her past to deserve this. Her dreams might be just that—completely unrelated to her past. Even though she knows that's false, she's willing to delude herself into thinking that she is who she thinks she is. That she's a good person. She was probably _always_ a good person, helpful, kind, if not a bit quiet and clueless._

_Right?_

_It isn't cold anymore and she feels sick, surrounded by all this blood._

_This is wrong._

_She's killed creatures ever since that day in Rem Decan; she's hurt many people just to live. But all this blood. It's too much to just be recent. _

_It has to be recent, though. Because Cass is a good person. And Cass hasn't killed people._

_But then the screams of the people of Akzeriuth crescendo, and she knows just how wrong she is._

* * *

The dream lingered with her, but Cassia managed to ignore it, pushing it aside in favor of something more pleasant, After all, if she didn't think about it, she wouldn't remember it. With her gray irises peering at the stark white ceiling, she felt as if she was dreaming. Everything was bright and the same, spotless color. The steady beeping to her right droned on, not changing its tempo the slightest bit. She had no idea where she was, but she had a feeling.

It was not necessarily one she would like to be true, but everything was the same as it was before—at the beginning. When she first met Princess Natalia. Before she became so close to her savior, and before she embarked on that journey that—

She was alone. And that was okay. She expected to be alone three years ago, save Imri Carnelian showing up every now and again and watching over her, making sure she wasn't some sort of Malkuth spy. Occasionally Natalia would visit her as well and, remembering that, the blonde frowned deeply. Sitting up, she began patting herself down, murmuring nonsense to herself. There was no way—there was no way that _all of that_ was a dream!

A sigh of relief escaped her as her hand clenched around the object resting at her collar: the capacity core Natalia had bought her in Chesedonia what seemed like months ago. That was good; all those memories weren't just made up in that case. Cassia really did recover from what happened to her during her coming of age ceremony and left to help Malkuth with her friend. She must be back in Baticul—back to where her new memories started. Maybe not the same room, but that didn't matter. But why was she here? The last thing she could remember that _wasn't_ impossible was feeling ill while helping the miners of Akzeriuth. Did she pass out? She must have; she wasn't feeling well, after all.

Lying back down, Cass waited. Waited for anyone to show up and tell her what happened in Akzeriuth. It didn't take long for someone to come see her the last time she was in a hospital, so it probably wouldn't take too long this time, right?

So she waited, staring at the white ceiling, focusing on the beeping of the machine to drown out any other sounds she didn't want to hear. Her eyes hurt but she didn't want to close them. If she did, then the beeping would stop and be replaced with screams and the world falling apart. And so she tried to think about others things instead of that nightmare. It had to be a nightmare. She was clearly safe and in a bed. The miasma must have just affected her more than she had expected. It didn't seem like she was in Akzeriuth anymore—it was much too clean—so they must have finished evacuating the town without her.

An hour passed. Then another. Despite her effort, the screaming became louder and that familiar burning sensation made its way from her core throughout her body. Trying to count the 208 ceiling tiles again didn't help; the beeping started to speed up and sound so high pitched, matching and harmonizing with the sounds of her nightmare. She tried to calm down, think about how once she was better Natalia wouldn't spare a moment before—it was too hot—scolding her. She would say something like, you can't help others if you're—she needed water it was so unbearable. But she would she would go back to helping Natalia with whatever the princess needed help help _help_

Something was touching her and she didn't know what it was. It didn't burn and she was thankful for that, so Cass focused on that, trying not to think of anything related to, to her nightmare. The beeping slowed down, as did her breathing, and after a moment she returned back to the room she was actually in.

A girl was at her side, but it wasn't someone she knew.

"Miss Brightwing?" she asked softly, her voice comforting. Cass met her eyes with a blank look. Receiving not response but still not deterred, she asked again, "How are you feeling?"

How _was_ she feeling? The burning had stopped, and physically she was in no pain. Checking over her body, the blonde realized, "I can't feel my arms."

"Yes, we had to increase the dosage of painkillers. You didn't fare well the last time you were awake."

So she had woken up before? She didn't remember that. She couldn't remember _anything_ after—

"What happened?" she asked, not even really knowing what answer she wanted to hear.

Taking a step away from the blonde, the girl learned towards the end of the bed where a clipboard hung. Grabbing it and sitting straight once more, she began, "If you can't remember what happened, I'm sorry but I'm not sure either. I _can_ tell you about your condition, though."

"Please do," Cass said, and the girl nodded, focusing brown eyes back on the clipboard.

"Of course. Before I begin, I should let you know that Doctor Shu isn't here at the moment; it's almost three in the morning and I'm the nurse on duty. I'm Emma, by the way. Now," Emma cleared her throat, flipping back the first page. And with a steady, serious tone, the nurse informed Cassia about her condition. She had been overexposed to miasma, and the poison had attached to her blood fonons. That was causing the pain, thus explaining the painkillers. Physically, there was nothing wrong—nothing was broken, any bleeding she had stopped days ago. "The Seventh Fonists that brought you here were definitely talented," Emma appraised. "Not even any scarring or anything. It's amazing, really."

That had to be Natalia and Tear, and Cass agreed wholeheartedly. There was only one part of Emma's report that concerned the attendant. "You said I stopped bleeding days ago… How long have I been here?"

The nurse flipped back to the first page. "You were checked in the third of Ifrit Decan. It's the eleventh now, so eight days."

Eight days? That didn't make sense. She couldn't have been here for eight days. And she arrived in Akzeriuth the fiftieth of Gnome Decan! That left nearly… twenty days unaccounted for. Walking to Kaitzur and arriving in Baticul would have taken much longer, and using a landship or something similar would have made the trip around ten days—probably less. She couldn't possibly be in Baticul then. Where was she? What _happened?_

"Do you know where…?" Cass paused. She didn't know where she was. She didn't want to mention Natalia or Luke, what if she was in Malkuth? "Do you know where… Guy Cecil is? He has blond hair too and should have been with me…"

Emma frowned. "I wasn't here when you were brought in, so I have no idea where anyone is that checked you in." The nurse closed her eyes and rocked the chair back and forth. A moment later her eyes shot open and the feet of the chair collided harshly with the tiled ground, making Cass jump.  
"No one has visited you while I've been on duty, so I'd assume they aren't in Belkend anymore. But! I do remember that someone left you a letter. I'll go get it; hold on a minute."

Without another word, the nurse left the room, leaving Cassia by herself. It wasn't long before she returned, letter in hand and a different clipboard tucked under her arm. "I guess you did have a visitor two days ago," she announced, handing over the envelope and looking over the new clipboard. "Does the name 'Grants' ring any bells?"

Cass nodded listlessly, working carefully to open the envelope without damaging what was inside. "Yes, she was with me, Guy, and everyone else." She managed to open the envelope, and promptly ignored whatever the nurse was telling her, eyes focused on Natalia's neat print.

_Cassia—_

_Before I begin, I want to let you know that, if I had known about your reaction to the miasma in Akzeriuth, I would have never put you in a position that would cause you this much harm. Please know that you are one of my dearest friends, and I am incredibly sorry that I could not do more for you this time._

_Now, I'm sure you're wondering exactly what happened. After the collapse of Akzeriuth (as unbelievable as it seems, the town did fall), we wound up in a place known as the Qliphoth. It's beneath the crust—what Tear called 'the Outer Lands,' and is filled with the miasma. I believe that being there is what made your condition so terrible, but we managed to arrive back to the Outer Lands safely._

She reread the paragraph and went cold. Swallowing deeply, Cass pursed her lips before releasing a shuddering breath. So that dream that she had… that actually happened. The world is really falling apart. All those people…

The blonde dropped that train of thought immediately, going back to the letter.

_There are a few things that I believe I should let you know. Firstly, fomicry. Anise informed me that you are already aware of this concept, so I will not waste anymore ink on describing it. Luke is a product of fomicry—a replica as they are known. The God-General Asch is the __**real **__Luke. However, it seems that he would prefer to remain being called Asch instead of his given name…_

So Luke wasn't… Luke? He technically isn't even human? What did that exactly mean—being a replica? A copy, yes, she knew the definition of the word, but wouldn't that make Luke more similar to a pencil or a boat rather than a human? He—it?—wasn't created naturally if fomicry was involved. What did that make a replica, then? Not human, but more of a…thing, she figured. It was sentient, so she couldn't place it on the same level as a ship. It didn't really fit into Cass's concept of life either, though.

Jade called it forbidden, too. That meant that Luke wasn't even supposed to be around, and it was probably made for some horrible purpose. Cass sighed deeply and rubbed at her temple. Why did people think that messing with the natural order of things was a good idea? Landships, fomicry… she couldn't help but think that everything would be better if they weren't thought up.

_Next, because I'm sure this is a question you have, I want to let you know that I do not believe you are a replica. While you and Luke are similar in ways, both of you were also incredibly different in regards to your memory loss. Replicas are a supposed 'blank slate,' in that they have no knowledge of anything. You have memories, and you knew much more than Luke did after you recovered from the events of Chesedonia._

_Lastly, though it pains me to acknowledge this, Akzeriuth is irredeemable. Please do not let that concern you. Instead, when you recover, I want you to continue doing as you have always done: focus on the future instead of dwelling in the past. The Fon Master and I are both going to be reaching out the Kimlasca, Daath, and Malkuth in order to prevent the war that we know will soon break out. There is a possibility that I will be unable to return to Belkend for you for quite some time. Therefore, as my most trusted attendant, I want you to do your part in keeping peace between countries. _

_It's a daunting task—I know, and I'm sorry. I do know that there are certain people that will take your word for my wellbeing, and I want you to keep this letter so those will know that you will act as my envoy in any endeavors you pick up once you are better. I trust you to make the choices you feel will prevent the war. _

_Once more, I'm truly sorry for everything that has happened._

_Your friend,_

_Natalia L.K. Lanvaldear_

Cassia stared at her friend's elaborate signature as she fully absorbed the contents of the letter. Eyes closing slowly, the blonde felt a weird pressure behind them and rubbed gently at her temples. She was left alone. Natalia and the others left her in Belkend by herself. What was she supposed to do? No one was here for her, no one would _be_ here for her once she recovered from… whatever happened.

The pressure behind her eyes increased and she moved her fingertips from her temples to instead furiously rub at her eyelids, hoping that the sensation would go away. She wanted to help Natalia, but what was she supposed to do? She didn't think she had any gald—she had no way to make it back to Baticul any time soon and actually _do anything to help_. Even then, how was she supposed to get an audience with the king? He was always busy, probably even more now that his daughter was missing (as was a good portion of land that used to be his, but that slipped her mind).

She didn't want any of this to happen. She wanted to be back home, with the threat of war nonexistent, and back to taking care of Natalia—where the most pressuring task of hers was making sure the princess did everything she had scheduled for the day. She didn't want people to die, to do everything she could only for it not to even matter in the end. To be so sick that she couldn't even help as much as she wanted to. Cass didn't know what she could do, but apparently she couldn't even _help_ anymore.

Her breath hitched in her throat and she squeezed her eyes shut even harder, pressing her palms into her eyelids as she set her elbows on her knees, trying to curl in on herself. "What am I supposed to do…?" The words escaped her, quiet and wavering with uncertainty, without Cass realizing it.

"Miss Brightwing?"

The attendant tried to look up at the voice—she had forgotten that the nurse was even there—but her vision was too blurred to even see anything. She rubbed at her eyes once more and they cleared slightly, the pressure alleviating the slightest amount. Emma had moved to the chair placed next to the bed, holding out a dark cloth. Cass looked at it, not really sure why it was being offered to her. "For your tears," Emma clarified, reading the confused expression on her patient's face.

She was crying? It would make sense, Cass acknowledged as she reached for the handkerchief. Despite knowing what she was supposed to do and where she was, she had never felt more lost. Even three years ago, Cassia didn't feel like the lack of direction her life had hindered her in any way. She lacked a map but had her compass, and it led her to a safe haven. Now her compass seemed to have vanished into the abyss, leaving her with a map and no clue of where she was or which way to go.

She wanted both. Why couldn't she have her map _and _her compass?

* * *

An amount of time passed. Cass didn't consider it necessary to accurately measure how much time it was. What was she supposed to do anyway? Count down the days until she would make her walk to Baticul? According to the nurses that she asked, the trip would take a month at the least. And she didn't even have gald to pay for a ferry from the port to the capital. So it was either stowing away and dying from starvation or something else, or crossing through the marsh and dying there.

Neither option was a good one, but she couldn't just stay in Belkend. While Doctor Shu informed her that the royal family was taking care of the bill she was incurring, Cass didn't want to stay in the hospital any longer than necessary. She was already rather restless—spending the few hours she was awake coming up with ideas of getting to Baticul (or anywhere else she could help like Natalia requested) _without_ dying.

The doctor had already shown up yesterday telling her that she had recovered nicely. All she had to do was take some pain medicine if it became too much for her to handle, and do her best to stay away from any miasma in the future. That would hopefully not be difficult; Cassia had no intentions of going back to the Qliphoth ever again. But time was running out. She needed to leave the hospital as soon as she came up with a plan where the percentage of her dying or being otherwise incapacitated wasn't that high.

She put whatever hope she had left into possible ideas to help Natalia. At first she considered simply staying in Belkend and perhaps sending off letters to Kimlascan officials, but Natalia had likely already considered that. She couldn't help the researchers in the city either because she knew nothing. Travelling left her despairing—she wasn't that strong and without someone helping her, she would surely die. Still, she kept thinking of plans of action, thinking that the right one would come to her in as an abstract idea, not something that was physically tangible.

If only it was another person that came into her room during visiting hours that provided her with the answer that she was so desperately searching for.

Only nurses and Doctor Shu came into her room since she recovered—never anyone else. And the white regalia of the Commandant of the Oracle Knights was _not_ something she expected to see. They never spoke much and the last time she did see him…

The blonde tensed immediately, sitting up straighter in the bed and wishing her weapons were with her instead of across the room in a drawer. Narrowed gray eyes shot to his waist. He had no sword, but that didn't mean he was unarmed. Right before the fall Tear mentioned that her brother was the one that was destroying Akzeriuth; if he could do that, who knew what he could do without his sword. She gripped the white sheets that covered her legs tightly, knuckles slowly matching the fabric, as she stared him down. The commandant did not take one of the chairs next to her bedside. Instead, he remained standing at the foot on the bed, set on towering over her.

She said nothing, but her silence did not deter the Oracle Knight. "It's good to see that you've recovered, Cassia." His voice was calm and collected, warm, even, and left her frowning at his tone.

"What did you do?" she asked him, outright ignoring whatever sort of pleasantries he was trying to extend to her. They weren't close, and he couldn't pretend he didn't know what she was asking about. She thought that she could trust Tear. After seeing her help bring Luke back home even though the melodist had no obligation to, she figured that the younger girl would want to help those that couldn't help themselves—hence her words about the man in front of her in Akzeriuth. Those words were just things that Asch was saying, though. She didn't know if she could trust that.

Cass needed confirmation. She regarded him carefully, observing even the slightest twitch of his hand.

"Are you talking about Akzeriuth?" Van questioned, as if he didn't know. Cass's eyes simply narrowed even more and she gave him a terse nod. "It's true that, with my assistance, the replica Luke did destroy Akzeriuth."

He wouldn't say something like that if he was lying, but the girl didn't like how he worded that. "Luke wouldn't want to hurt anyone. Do not lie to me."

Van shook his head and continued to talk to her like he did to Luke: calmly and patiently. "I don't believe you to be stupid, Cassia. The replica created a hyperresonance that destroyed the Sephiroth. I was the one that helped him access those powers." There was a short pause as the commandant stared at her like she did him. "It doesn't surprise me that the replica wouldn't tell you about his plans, or that Princess Natalia wouldn't mention the true culprit. Has she somehow made you believe that I am the sole villain, or that I actually _am_ the villain?"

What, exactly, was he insinuating about Natalia?! That she was lying? With a glare, Cass threw the sheets off of her and stood up. She was still much shorter than he was, and the hospital clothing did not add anything to the image she was trying to put on, but it was much better them having Van simply tower over her while she sat around in a bed meant for the injured.

"Don't talk about Natalia that way."

"I'm not here to insult anyone," he told her, taking a step back. "I'm sure that she's updated you in some way about what happened. It's possible that she left out some information that could be of interest to you. Omission or otherwise, it could still be considered lying. I won't lie to you, Cassia. If I was going to, I would have when you asked about Akzeriuth."

"…What do you want, then?"

"I'm here to help you, if you'll in turn help me," was Van's reply.

It was vague enough to grab Cassia's interest, especially since he was planning on doing something for her. She had no idea what he was planning, or what he needed help with, or _how_ she could even be of assistance anyway. He had his God-Generals; that should be enough. "I don't understand."

"My intention is not to destroy Auldrant," he said. "I'm not a villain; everything I'm doing is to help the world." Cassia simply continued to stare at him, and Van took her silence as a nod to continue explaining himself. "All these wars, the Battle of Northern Chesedonia, even the one that is on the verge of breaking out, these are all predicted by the Score, as was the fall of Akzeriuth. The Score is at fault for all the evil in the world and its existence will bring about the end of Auldrant. My goal is to rid the world of the Score."

She had no strong feelings about the Score. Some people took what was written in it to extremes, and some didn't. However, if something was predetermined, wouldn't that make any efforts to stop whatever was going to happen futile? "If it's already written, how is getting rid of the Score going to help?"

"I'm sure you're aware that people take their Score readings to the extreme, even going as far as to consult it for day to day matters," Van said and Cass nodded. A few of the maids she worked with were like that. "These people will do nothing even when confronted with their utter annihilation. Getting rid of the Score is the only way to give humanity a chance to live freely, without being bound by the planet's memory."

Cass considered his words for a moment. His reasoning for wanting to get rid of the Score seemed sound to her—if people didn't know what was going to happen, they had the chance to make their own decisions. And free will was good, right? If the Score said war was going to happen, but the Score didn't exist, then important people with influence would put more effort into prevent it from happening. Surely it was more like a safety blanket for people, and they'd learn to live without it after some time… a few generations at most.

The commandant continued on as she thought about his plan. "Princess Natalia has left you here, but I'm sure that, even though you're alone, you still want to help her. Am I right?" Cass nodded fervently. "Her goals are probably short term—only considering the war that will break out because of Akzeriuth's fall. There will always be more, and destroying the Score will help prevent any more conflict between Kimlasca and Malkuth."

She thought about that, and that's exactly a goal that her friend would have… trying to keep peace between the two nations. "I'm sure that an extended peace is something that you'd want, if only because Natalia desires it. By assisting me, you'll be able to help her without being around a replica or the father of fomicry."

Her train of thought halted at the unfamiliar appellation. "The _what?"_

"No one told you?" he asked. "I would have thought Her Highness would have informed you that Jade Curtiss created the basis behind fomicry."

The blonde quickly went through the letter once more in her mind—she had read through it so many times—but could not recall a mention of fomicry at all other than in regards to Luke. She _still_ wasn't quite sure how she felt about its creation, but now that Jade was associated with it…

No wonder she didn't like him all that much. He seemed to have a problem with letting things live normally.

But she couldn't let Van know exactly what her thoughts were on fomicry, even though it seemed like he already knew she wasn't fond of the idea. "Why are you telling me all this? You said something about helping me…?" the blonde hastily changed the subject, and Van smiled warmly at her in response.

She felt like Luke, because she's only ever seen that expression directed at the replica before.

"I thought that I had seen those weapons you use somewhere before, though it's taken me some time to place exactly where," Van said. He paused deliberately, as if waiting for the girl to reply. She had no idea where he was going with that, but her eyes unconsciously shot to the drawer behind her visitor. When Cass made no motion to reply, the commandant continued. "It took some time to figure out where I've seen them before. And, as I'm sure you know, there hasn't been much time for research since Tear showed up in Baticul."

Cass frowned. Why was he wasting time and not just outright saying what he wanted to say? Van's pause this time was not quite as long, but just as poignant as the last. He sounded as official and calm as always, but tone has never left much of an impression on her—content said much more to her. Her eyes widened—the rigid stance she had taken up immediately fell with her jaw. She repeated the five words again in her mind, making sure that she heard him correctly.

Suddenly that annoying few seconds of silence made sense. This wasn't something that Cassia thought she would hear, least of all from Van.

It was what she ultimately wanted, right? She told herself that she would be fine without the ability to look behind her, but time and time again, when something was held in front of her face, she couldn't help but go for the bait. To start looking more into things.

Cass didn't know if Van would outright tell her what she wanted to know. Even if he wouldn't, if he wanted to make sure he had her help before he said anything more, she knew she would follow him into whatever his plan entailed. It would help Natalia bring about a peace between the Kingdom of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear and the Malkuth Empire. And...

Her mouth felt dry, and she opened and closed her mouth multiple times, trying to find the words she wanted to say but they wouldn't leave her. Her eyes left his momentarily, staring at the white tiles that covered the floor. Her voice came back to her as she inhaled deeply, gray moving back up to meet blue.

Quietly and slowly, carefully articulating her words despite how heavy her tongue felt in her mouth, Cass spoke: "You… know who my father is?"


	19. Jack of Diamonds

**Disclaimer: **Tales of the Abyss and all characters therein do not belong to me. That honor goes to Namco Bandai. This story is for fun only, and I do not profit from it.  
**Disclaimer: **Reyna Milas belongs to RubyMoonz-cameo with permission

* * *

**Nederim**

Chapter 19 / Jack of Diamonds

_"If she lacks memories you won't see her true character, you say? Ridiculous, it's the exact opposite! Memory provides rationality. In other words a mask. This woman, amnesiac as she is, is in her truest, most unvarnished state!" – Fate/Extra CCC_

* * *

Cassia Brightwing was not who she thought she was.

Of course, she thought she knew this. She was an amnesiac; she couldn't even remember her family or her home. Here she was now, standing on the deck of yet another boat, on her way to Daath sans the people she had grown so accustomed to seeing. Instead, she was by herself. Not even Van accompanied her—he said that he needed to do some things in Belkend. Someone he trusted would be waiting for her at the harbor.

She didn't think she could be bribed so easily. It sounded like a fairly symbiotic relationship that Van was suggesting: she would help him get rid of the Score, and in return she would learn more about herself and be sent to a place where she could actually help Natalia. Fon Master Ion would have to return to Daath at some point to speak against the war effort (if he wasn't already there), and she could assist him, if nothing else. No matter how she looked at her current situation, Cass could not see a downside.

The world would be more independent. She'd follow through with Natalia's orders. She already learned so much about herself and, apparently, she would learn even more once she arrived in the city that housed the Order of Lorelei.

"Kano Brigid…"

The words left her without her meaning to. Maybe it was because she was watching the waves slowly glide away from the side of the vessel, being gently shoved away by the force of the ship. She liked watching the water—it made her feel at ease. And that name, synonymous to "father" for her, left her feeling a similar way.

She crossed her arms on the railing in front of her, set her head down on them and continued to stare out, watching Rem slowly continue beyond the horizon to make room for Luna in the sky. The canvas above her, matching the one that the ship glided upon, was beginning to be painted purples and oranges and reds with the descent of the sun; the wondrous sight of the alpenglow surrounding Mount Zaleho in the distance. She was almost on Padamiya, would be there in mere hours. The blonde sighed contentedly, feeling at peace for the first time in, what seemed to be, forever.

Cassia Brightwing was not who she thought she was. Because she was Cassia Brigid.

Thinking back to when she first met Natalia, she recalled finding that surname familiar in a way, but still different. She understood now; they sounded the same at the beginning. She liked Brightwing—it had a connection to her best friend and it was a treasured gift, the first, which she had received. She couldn't compare it to her real name, however. There was too much meaning to it, and she had a few weeks to dwell on what, exactly, that meaning was.

Brigid was her father's name. Her path, her home, her star.

Van told her about him, even though that had only met a handful of times. The dreams she had while making her way to Daath supported everything he said. Kano was an Oracle Knight, supposedly very close to the previous Fon Master: Evenos. He was a nice enough man, the commandant said, rather strict and serious most of the time. And Cass remembered that. Kano taught her how to fight, and he would reprimand her constantly when she messed up. But then, when she wasn't learning, he was perfect. Well, he was always perfect in her eyes, but the embodiment of what it means to be a father to a child. Kind, supportive, a guiding light.

They didn't know each other personally. She learned after interrupting him that Van didn't know her mother at all, only that she was also an Oracle Knight that worked under a previous officer of the Second Division Oracle Knights and her name was Calomel. He didn't even know if she was alive or dead. Based on the name of her commanding officer—who Cass could not recall—Van assumed she was dead.

That was upsetting, to say the least, but Cassia would not lose hope. Until she learned that her mother was actually dead or alive, she would just assume she was alive.

He didn't stay on that topic for long, choosing instead to indulge the younger girl with everything he could recall about Kano. The Oracle Knight praised his combative prowess, saying that his skill physically was a force to be reckoned with. Apparently he was a talented fonist as well. Not a prodigy as Jade Curtiss was—who could use six of the seven fonons—but capable of using the four he could to utterly decimate his opponents.

That was what he needed her for, Van said. Those few fonic artes that Kano taught _her_, his daughter. Ones she couldn't remember.

From that alone Van made it clear that he wanted Cass to fight in some way. She could do that; she just didn't want to kill anyone if she didn't have to. And Van said that he was fine with that—she'd almost always be with someone else that would be able to finish the job. He didn't mention who, but Cass figured that it didn't really matter. As long as they could sort of work together everything would be all right. Almost everyone would be happy in the end.

What she didn't understand was how she was supposed to cast fonic artes when she didn't even know _how_ to cast, well, anything. She had only just begun experimenting with using abundant fonons in the air after a powerful fonic arte was cast; how was she supposed to go about casting… she didn't know, Thunder Blade?

She frowned instantly and shook her head, trying to clear any lingering negativity in her thoughts. Van said that someone would help her learn! Someone would be there to teach her fonic artes again—all she had to do was remember what her father taught her. And certainly it shouldn't be that hard. Things come back to her when she's doing something similar. It would only be a matter of time after she started her new training that the artes would come back to her.

And she would cast those fonic artes, just as well as Tear used Yulia's fonic hymns or Jade used those incredibly powerful artes. She was going to learn, and she was going to help put an end to this war if it was the last thing she did. She couldn't fail Natalia. Not now.

They might be separated, and it might be difficult for Cass to figure out what she needed to do without Natalia helping her along, but she had a goal. She might stumble along and make a few wrong turns getting to that goal, but every path had the same destination, did it not? They were taking separate paths to the same war-free Auldrant, and the extra ground covered would only speed everything along—Cass was certain of that.

Who knows? Maybe they would be reunited long before war even had a chance to break out. If they did run into one another, Cass would not hesitate to abandon Van's plan in favor of Natalia. And Van simply nodded along, saying that he figured as much and wouldn't do anything to try and stop her, so long as she weighed her options carefully and still considered remaining with his plan to put an end to the Score.

Cassia's mind was already set, though. She'd help Van for as long as she could—she owed him at least that much for everything he's done for her recently. Maybe she'd even see it through to the end; see a world where the Score didn't weigh heavily on the minds of both believers and deniers. As long as Kimlasca and Malkuth could coexist without tension, she would be happy. She'd just prefer seeing that happen alongside her friend, not Van.

She stepped away from the railing, keeping her eyes on the red halo that surrounded Mount Zaleho. The sounds from the port were loud now, and they'd be docked and disembarking within the hour. It was exciting, if not a little frightening, but Cass needed to get through the initial awkwardness with whoever would be helping her.

Everything would be all right, she smiled to herself. The small bag she had, hanging off one of her shoulders, swayed lightly as she moved. Almost as an afterthought she dug through it, remembering her medicine. Aside from her clothes and her father's weapons, the medicine was her only possession now. She took some before putting it back in the bag and waiting patiently in her assigned room until given the signal that she could finally step back on land.

* * *

A stream of sounds that, if one listened closely, could be considered curses fell from his lips. Blueprints scattered across the small room from a sudden gust of wind, and his dark hands hastily reached out haphazardly, trying to keep _some_ of them from flying all over the place.

His curses grew in volume as one of the pieces he tried so save blew out of the window. Immediately he gave chase, lifting himself up and into the open air of Daath, ignoring his roommate's yells of, "Get off the window, Gabriel! Just redraft it!"

Redrafting would take too much time; chasing the sheet of paper through one of the many gardens surrounding the cathedral would _hopefully_ take a lot less time.

He hated Daath, especially at this time of the year. It was hot enough, even more now that it was summer. But Padamiya couldn't just settle with a scorching heat that almost compared to the Alberrian deserts. No, Mount Zaleho also had to be temperamental lately. Not to mention Scorer vestments were dark.

The wind died down and the draft fell gently to the ground, but the Scorer picked it up before it even touched the grass. Ochre eyes glared down at the blue sheet of paper, irritated beyond belief.

He hated Daath. Why the hell couldn't he work on this back home? The weather was more or less the same since it was an island, but at least there wasn't a _volcano_ to make everything worse. He'd probably get more done without people like Locrian Colonel Dist bothering him all the time.

Sure, he was in the God-General's division, but why did he need to be so…?

The Oracle Knight huffed, ran a hand through silver hair and turned around. Dist was a pain. A genius, but still annoying. However, he supposed it could be worse. At least he had some redeemable qualities, unlike so many of the people in the Second Division he was forced to associate with.

Blueprints in hand, the youth trudged back to his room, ready to get an earful from one of the people that bunked with him. He was not expecting the Commander of the Fon Master Guardians to be waiting at the dirty table. "Major Milas," he greeted, giving her a proper salute despite attempting to keep a careful hold on the paper.

She got up from her chair, eyes passive as ever. "Locrian Lieutenant Levi Gabriel, am I right?" she asked, although the Oracle Knight could tell by her tone that it wasn't really a question. While they had not met formally before, Levi figured that Dist talked her ear off about him.

Levi almost felt sorry for the woman. Might have, if he wasn't subjected to Dist more than she was.

"That's right," he replied, setting down his blueprints on the table and making his way gingerly to the window. He closed it, figuring that a few minutes of hell while talking to the major would be worth it if his hard work didn't go flying out the window. Again. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Picking up an envelope that somehow Levi missed, Major Reyna Milas simply held it out for him to grab, saying naught more than, "Commandant Grants requests that you open that immediately."

The Scorer frowned, taking out the paper and immediately reading it over, ever conscious of the major's presence. He hadn't spoken much to the commandant these past three years; the only high ranking officer of the Oracle Knights he really interacted with was his commanding officer. Dist was on a completely different level than Van Grants though, so why did-?

Ah.

_That_ was it.

Levi's lips twitched the slightest bit as he reread the short note.

"The ferry should be arriving in three days," Reyna said suddenly. "I'm supposed to accompany you both back to the cathedral so you can begin training. Think you can be ready to depart in thirty minutes?"

The light-haired boy pursed his lips and looked towards the mess that was scattered all over the room. Sighing internally, Levi knew he didn't really have a choice in the matter—Commandant Grants wanted him to head to Daath Bay, he'd head to Daath Bay. He just really didn't want to abandon his projects. Who knew what the others would do with his work while he was gone?

Major Milas had already exited, and Levi didn't exactly know if he was supposed to meet her somewhere or if she'd return shortly. Figuring that if he was supposed to meet her somewhere else in the cathedral she would have said so, he simply shrugged the confusion off and began to pack a small bag. He shoved the essentials in and carefully packed in his most recent project that was a manageable size, heaved it over his shoulder, and waited.

It did not take long for the major to return, a small bag of her own slung over her shoulder. Her shin guards and gauntlets were equipped, so he grabbed his staff as he headed out of his room, right on her heels.

They didn't speak until they arrived at the Fourth Monument, and even then it wasn't much—Reyna just told him they wouldn't be stopping until just before sundown, but he already kind of figured that since they were supposed to be at the port in three days when the average trek on foot would be about four. And Levi stayed just as quiet, rather enjoying the silence since the soldiers he shared a room with were loud and distracting.

The days that followed were quiet with the exception of the sounds of nature around them. There were hardly any issues with wandering monsters; Reyna, true to her rank within the Oracle Knights, could handle most with ease while Levi supported her with use of the Second Fonon. If she was injured, it was nothing the Scorer couldn't quickly fix with the Seventh Fonon. It was great to get away from the city, really, even though all the light-haired teen wanted to do was manually work out any kinks in his project. All he could do was simple physics calculations to make sure that it would, in theory, work.

He just really wanted to test this out. He wanted to see the sky light up in so many different colors, like he heard about down south around Sheridan.

The Oracle Knights arrived at the harbor midday on the third day, which in all honestly surprised Levi. He thought they were travelling faster than usual, but didn't think they would arrive until much later in the day. There were no boats around yet either, so they were even _earlier_ than they needed to be.

"Lieutenant," the major stated, directing the Scorer's attention away from all the people mulling around. "Commandant Grants says the ferry shouldn't be arriving until later this evening. I'm going to gather supplies for the trip back to the city; you're free to do as you wish. If there's any light we will not be staying here for the night."

Without another word, his superior headed over to a few of the stalls. He stared after her for a moment before looking away and sighing internally. What was he supposed to do for however many hours this would take?

Levi wasn't overly fond of the ocean, having grown up with the sea breeze constantly making everything salty and slightly damp. The waves were nice enough, he supposed, but not nearly as great as some people made it out to be, and so he wouldn't get much pleasure from just watching birds fly over the vast blue ocean. He already had a supply of chemical compounds and what he hoped would work as proper casing, so he didn't need to stop by some fontech shop and buy more. Not that he'd be able to get much of anything quality around Daath—he'd probably need to order stuff from Sheridan.

"'Scuse me…"

Feeling a tug on the bottom half of his uniform, the teen look down in the direction of the voice. A young girl, a little dirty and worse for wear by the looks of it, refused to let go even as he made eye contact with her. Immediately the boy crouched down, getting right on the same level as the girl and making her let go of his clothing. "Is there something I can help you with? Are you lost?" he asked.

She shook her head, ponytail waving haphazardly behind her and almost smacking her in the face. "Nuh, but you're a Scorer, right? So you can use the Seventh Fonon?"

"Yeah, that's right," he replied. "Can I help you at all?"

"Julius is hurt. Can you help him?"

He had no idea who that was supposed to be, but it didn't really matter. Instead, the dark skinned boy straightened up, asked the little girl to lead the way. She grabbed his hand and hurriedly dragged him off to some other section of the harbor. She dashed through a doorway that was simply covered by a raggedy cloth, and brought him into a room that was about as dirty as she was. An older woman was there along with a young boy—Julius, he figured.

At the sound of the cloth entrance moving, the woman looked up from what Levi figured was her son. Her eyes spent a lot of time on his clothing, and immediately her eyes turned towards the girl that still held his hand tightly. "Elle! You can't just bring people here! We can't afford it…"

"But he offered to help!" Elle replied hastily, tugging on Levi's hand hard enough that he almost stumbled in her direction. "Right, Mister Scorer? You said you'd help my brother!"

It was almost a familiar scene—if only the mother acted a little differently. "That's right," Levi said before the mother could say anything else. "The Order of Lorelei doesn't take payment for things like this, only donations. So don't worry about any payment, ma'am."

She was about to say something, but Levi just made his way over Julius, asked him what hurt so he'd know how to help. It was a quick fix, hardly took a minute, and would have been a lot easier if the mother would stop constantly trying to say how he didn't need to help, they weren't able to donate to the Order this month, blah blah.

It was annoying, but not necessarily something he wasn't used to. At least they weren't asking for Score readings.

Time passed quickly after he left the run-down 'home' the family of three resided within. A few people called upon him (graciously calling him 'Scorer!' in order to get his attention from what seemed to be halfway across a pier) in order to get their Score read for today before going about their shopping, effectively using Levi as a grocery list. It was awful, and after being yelled at for about an hour he went and found a quiet corner that was out of sight.

Come sundown he spotted a head of purple hair standing alone and immediately made his way towards his superior. She tossed him a small thing of bread which he figured was dinner, and he ate it while waiting for the ferry to arrive.

Few stars dotted the rainbow colored sky by the time the correct ferry docked, and it was only a matter of minutes before the passengers shuffled off the ship, dragging heavy luggage behind themselves and quickly heading for the inn—deeming it much too late to try and head anywhere else today. The passenger in question that Levi and Reyna were waiting for was almost nondescript, carrying nothing with her but the clothes on her back and a small bag.

She looked exactly the same, maybe a bit more steady on her feet if he had to think of a compliment.

Major Milas stepped forward as the blonde disembarked, walking towards her and apparently making a short introduction, if Levi was assuming correctly. The short conversation ended in seconds, and it wasn't long before the two made their way back to him.

The new member didn't even make it all the way before she stopped dead in her tracks, staring at him as if he was some sort of magical creature.

"Good to see you again, Cass," he greeted genially. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"… Levi?" she said, toning his name as a question. The letter from Commandant Grants mentioned she had amnesia, but apparently Cass still managed to recognize him! That was a surprise. What did she remember? Being children, studying together, maybe all of it?

"That's me," he nodded in affirmation, and Cass's expression immediately shifted, almost becoming too bright.

"It'll be dark soon," Major Milas cut in suddenly. "We can still get a few hours of travelling in before it's completely dark. Let's go." Clearly she didn't give two figs about them meeting back up. The Scorer wondered if she actually gave two figs about _anything_.

Without a word, the lieutenant followed after his superior officer, Cass following along at his heels like a lost puppy. He didn't complain, almost used to it, even though it's been _years_ since either one of them followed the other around.

Levi knew she wanted to talk; it was obvious by now, even if he hadn't spent sixteen years prior to this around her. But he just _knew_ it was going to be an onslaught of questions, and it was really too dark for him to deal with that.

So he cut her off before she even asked her first question. "We can talk tomorrow while we head to Daath, okay? It's really too late to start now if you want to get any sleep."

And Cass just nodded from her spot beside him, resigning herself to being left in the dark for a few more hours. Which would likely be Levi's last few hours of relative quiet before arriving in Daath, much to his chagrin.

* * *

**SKIT: MIND READER**

_Character(s): Levi, Cassia_

**Cassia ****_(curious)_**: …

**Levi ****_(default):_** … What?

**Cassia ****_(curious):_** ...

**Levi ****_(annoyed):_** If you want to ask me something, just do it. Staring probably won't help. So stop.

**Cassia ****_(default)_****:** I apologize… You just seem different. I think…

**Levi ****_(default):_** That's probably because I'm an Oracle Knight now. Structured military life kind of changes someone.

**Cassia ****_(smile)_****:** Yes… You remind me of Tear now. _(contemplative)_ Though I don't know if she was nice like I remember you being when we were young…

**Levi ****_(sigh): _**(I'll pretend I know who that is… It's like she thinks I'm up-to-date with the last three years.)

**Levi ****_(annoyed): _**(Like I didn't think she was dead or anything after her coming of age ceremony. Who does she think I am? A mind reader or a stalker?)

* * *

**Chapter Notes - Naming**

I put a lot of thought into the names of my characters. Here's Cassia's parents.

Kano: Following the Oracle Knight (God-General) naming theme, Kano comes from the musical term "canon:" a piece of music in which two or more voices (or instrumental parts) sing or play the same music starting at different times.

Calomel: Has inspiration from all major Abyss factions. Following the Malkuth naming theme, Calomel is the name of a type of cinnabar. Cinnabar is associated with volcanic activity (a la Daath's proximity to Mt Zaleho) and it's also a shade of red, like how many characters in Kimlasca are named after colors (Viridian, for example. Fun fact: Imri's last name, Carnelian, was chosen for this reason).

Brigid (soft G; pronounced like "Brig"adier General Cecille): A deity in Irish mythology, daughter of the Dagda. Brigid is the patroness of many things, including healing and the coming of spring.

Tales of the Abyss is filled with Jewish mythology as well, and I'd just like to take this line to say that Cassia, Levi, and Imri all have Biblical origin/are mentioned in the Old Testament. I'm not gonna explain these names quite yet (but I guess that can't stop anyone from Googling...)


	20. The Ties That Bind

**Disclaimer: **Tales of the Abyss and all characters therein do not belong to me. That honor goes to Namco Bandai. This story is for fun only, and I do not profit from it.  
**Disclaimer: **Reyna Milas belongs to RubyMoonz-cameo with permission

* * *

**Nederim**

Chapter 20 / The Ties That Bind

_"For what it's worth: It's never too late to be whoever you want to be. I hope you live a life you're proud of, and if you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start over." — F. Scott Fitzgerald_

* * *

"What's the medicine for?"

The question made Cass freeze, like a rabbit trying to remain hidden in plain sight to avoid becoming prey. It had been two days of travelling with Levi and the Oracle Knight that was eventually introduced as Reyna Milas, but those days have been shrouded in relative silence. Neither of the Oracle Knights made any effort to talk other than when it was required, and for a moment the blonde forgot that people _could_ talk.

"I'm a Seventh Fonist," Levi said slowly. "If it's for something physical, I can probably help, Cass."

It was weird hearing him talk. It was weird that he knew her and seemed to know that she didn't exactly know him, but he didn't seem to want to make any effort to say _how_ they knew each other. Cass didn't want to ask, the silence that surrounded them as they made way for Daath was nearly stifling and she couldn't bring herself to break it and ask the Scorer questions.

She looked over at the purple-haired major, who didn't seem at all disturbed by the sudden conversation. Instead, Reyna appeared to ignore them and focused on getting a fire going for the night. If the Oracle Knight wasn't shooting them harsh looks to get them to quiet down, then there wasn't some unspoken rule against talking, right?

"The medicine," Cass repeated, turning to face the boy. "It's for miasma poisoning."

Levi frowned. "Miasma poisoning, huh?" he repeated, putting a gloved hand to his chin in thought. "I'll have to do something about that…" his voice was quieter as he continued, as if he was trying to keep his thoughts to himself, but Cassia heard him nonetheless.

Instantly she straightened her back, clutching the small bottle of medicine in her hands. "You can stop it?" she questioned eagerly, eyes wide. No one said anything about simply curing the miasma poisoning—they all made it sound like it was something she would be stuck with forever. In her peripheral, Cass could barely make out Reyna smirking at the pile of logs that were just beginning to smoke.

The younger Oracle Knight's frown simply deepened at the question and he sighed, running a hand through his hair and messing it up. "Technically yes, but I don't exactly want to die anytime soon." The blonde's shoulders slumped at his response, but he didn't bother clarifying what he meant. "I'm just saying that now I know where to start after someone teaches you how to be a fonist again."

"What do you mean?" Cass asked.

He stole a glance over at Reyna. "I think that's something Van or someone should explain," he answered slowly. "What he wants you to do is something that he should have told you, anyway."

The blonde frowned, almost nodded along and dropped the subject. She might have, if people keeping secrets from her didn't end horribly the last time it happened. Cass didn't know if this would help her in any way, but she didn't want to be lied to anymore, and she didn't want to be left out when it could help her or she could help someone else with that information.

"No, tell me," she demanded. "If it concerns me I have the right to know."

The Scorer crossed his arms and opened his mouth to reply, but Reyna interrupted him. "Lieutenant," she said firmly, getting to her feet and making her way over to the pair. She gave him a disapproving look.

The Oracle Knights seemed to have a silent conversation as Cass looked between the two of them. Levi's lip twitched slightly before he glared at the princess's attendant. "Sorry," he said tightly.

"Cassia," Reyna brought her attention back to Cass. "Drop the subject; Commandant Grants said it would be best to tell you after you adjusted to using fonic artes again. We don't want you getting ahead of yourself."

She bristled, but even Cass could tell that the major's tone was absolute. She considered trying again to get Levi to tell her, but it didn't seem like either one of the Oracle Knights would say another word on the matter. Someone would tell her… eventually. She just had to remember how to cast fonic artes again.

Who knew how long that would take, though?

For all she knew she was a horrible fonist, and it might take her months before she could cast a simple fonic arte. She'd just need to practice very hard once someone reminded her of what to do, so she could get answers faster. The faster she learned, the sooner she could help Van and end the war. Once that happened, she'd be free to go back to Baticul. That was what Cassia wanted the most.

Food, courtesy of Reyna, was handed out quietly, just the same as it had been for the last few days. Nothing but the crackling of the fire between the three of them made a sound.

It was so different. When travelling around Malkuth, there was always someone talking. Luke might be complaining, or maybe Jade and Anise were talking in light tones. Natalia was always open to conversation with her attendant, especially on the nights where it was Natalia's turn to cook. While they were few and far in between, they still happened. And it was Cass's unofficial roll to keep Natalia distracted enough so Tear, Guy, and Anise could discreetly sabotage her meal. It was the only way anyone would be able to eat those nights.

She missed the atmosphere, but the quiet was nice too. Levi and Reyna were pleasant and respectful—something that was almost rare with Luke around. The replica was almost always rude to her and its attitude was not really something she missed. The companionable air that surrounded their fires was what she really missed. At least it wouldn't be long before she was in Daath. If she wasn't outside, then the silence was much easier to bear. That was how it always was back in Baticul.

Silence covered the trio as the last bits of color in the sky faded away to black. Luna wasn't out tonight, and if the fire wasn't crackling and burning away beside her, the sky would have been filled with stars. "Levi?" Cass said suddenly, waiting for the silver-haired boy to give her some sign of acknowledgement. He was taking the first watch, so if he didn't respond then he was probably ignoring her because of her pushiness. Eventually she heard a short 'hm?' from him. "Am I… a good fonist?" she asked.

He stayed quiet, and she didn't know if he'd actually answer. He seemed upset after Reyna told her to drop the topic, but this wasn't the same one. It had to be okay, right?

"… You're okay," he finally replied.

It was vague, but still an answer. A positive one, too! If she was decent, then hopefully it wouldn't take her that long to be as good as she was before. She had a good memory; it didn't take her that long to understand what she was doing when she first began training with Imri years ago. It was all familiar, and if it was something that she could remember doing, no matter how subconscious that memory was, she would learn quickly.

Cass nodded, mostly to herself than to Levi. Lying down, she stared at the sky for a moment before closing her eyes. The fire was extinguished, and the lack of light brought out more stars than she saw earlier. Not a single cloud was in the sky.

* * *

Cass woke up, and everything seemed different.

She was used to camping, almost preferred it over sleeping in a bed that was way too soft. While their site was relatively quiet, it wasn't unusually and ominously so. The sun still wasn't up—there was maybe half an hour before sunrise still—so the lack of song through the air was typical. Cass ran her fingers through the blades of grass; there was nothing odd about them, either.

It was only when she sat up that Cass realized what was so weird. Compared to yesterday, it was almost as if a tight band had always been wrapped around her chest. An uncomfortable sensation, one that left just enough room for breathing. She inhaled deeply, relishing in this newfound freedom, but then everything about this was different too.

She must have been underwater for as long as she could remember, because _this_ was her first real breath of air. It was sweet and rich—every breath slightly different than the one before it—and Cass could almost feel the life-sustaining energy from the air flowing through her body.

Until the sun rose, all Cass did was relish in nature, finally breathing. Not for the sake of existing, she decided, but for the sake of living. For a desire to fulfil her goals, to help Auldrant and all the people that lived here with her. Her newfound direction _had_ to be the reason she was able to experience nature to the fullest now.

They left camp at dawn, travelling in silence the remainder of the way to Daath, aside from short sentences for getting up and heading off or when something came up. In the morning of the fourth day, the group finally arrived at the Fourth Monument, just outside of the city. The air was still foggy—the rising sun not having quite enough time to burn away the lingering moisture—and the billowing smoke coming from Mount Zaleho did not help make things any more visible.

Cass eyed the cloud warily. "Mount Zaleho isn't going to erupt… is it?" she asked, turning her head to face Reyna.

The major just spared her a glance. "It'll be fine. Mount Zaleho is an active volcano, but there have been no signs of it erupting anytime soon."

Cass hoped that Reyna would give her a more in depth answer. It was assuring, yes, but wasn't the plume of smoke a sign of it erupting? It seemed like it would have been. But if Reyna lived in Daath, she would probably know more, so Cass would just have to trust her judgment.

And they wouldn't have built such an important city so close to an active volcano if it was going to be in any danger… right?

Maneuvering their way through the crowds of parishioners, the trio eventually managed to make it to the other side of the Fourth Monument. Daath was clearly in view, but neither Levi nor Reyna gave the newcomer a chance to marvel at the sight of the cathedral in the distance. Almost as soon as the crowd dispersed, Levi announced he was leaving—that he had something to do in his division now the he was back. All Reyna did was nod, and without anything more than a glance and a half wave at Cass, the boy was gone.

Cass didn't think she talked to him nearly as much as she should have, but she had no time to dwell on that thought before the other Oracle Knight started to quicken her already fast pace and make her way into the city. "Will I get to talk to him again?" she asked the moment she caught up to and matched the purple-haired commander's pace.

Reyna didn't even glance at her. "I'd imagine so."

That was the only thing she said the rest of the trip to Daath. It might have been just as quiet as it was before—with no one speaking at all—or maybe even louder now that crowds of people on pilgrimage surrounded the duo. Despite that, it all seemed quieter, and not in a peaceful way.

* * *

Cassia turned left. Again.

How many times would she turn left? Should she have started her journey to the entrance of Daath's cathedral with a right turn? Would she even find another living soul, someone that could direct her to a stairway that went _down?_

Reyna brought her to the eighth floor. That was where her room was located, and it turned out to be incredibly out of the way and close to impossible to find anyone else around. It was almost like the stairwells completely avoided this level, and that meant the people did too. But she had to have gotten here somehow, so _where were the stairs?_

Did Anise have to deal with this when she moved around with the Fon Master? They lived here; they must know the layout of the cathedral like the back of their hands by now. And what about Tear? She was an Oracle Knight. She probably knew how to get to a set of stairs from the eighth floor.

Cass didn't even know the time anymore. She was probably supposed to be in a smaller, private training arena at least half an hour ago. The stress of being late renewed her vigor, her pace increasing, and she turned left.

She nearly ran into an angry-looking Major Reyna Milas.

The Oracle Knight grabbed Cass by her wrist and began dragging her in what was probably the right direction. "You needed to take a right after the first left," was all Reyna said. "If you still get lost, jumping down a floor or two from the open hallway won't do much damage."

She should have turned right…

It was mere minutes before Reyna led her to the first floor, the number of members for the Order of Lorelei steadily increasing as they made their way to the entrance of the cathedral. This time Cassia took extra care in paying attention to every turn Reyna led her down. She didn't want to get lost again.

The courtyard Reyna had set aside was decently sized—bigger than the one she used in Kimlasca but still smaller than the Kimlascan-Lanvaldear archery range. The surrounding ground was plain dirt with a few weeds and grasses sprouting up from the packed ground, and the attendant figured that it was to keep damage from fonic artes to a minimum. After all, that's what she would be doing today.

The small figure standing next to a large, intimidating monster was supposed to be her tutor, and that left Cass incredibly uncomfortable. She didn't know that it was Arietta the Wild that would be helping her; did Arietta even know that? After all the confrontations they had, surely the God-General would recognize her. Cass _did_ maim her bird's wings…

"Legretta is still away, so Arietta will be helping you for the time being," Reyna stated.

"No!" the God-General protested. Her liger reacted instantly, standing up and curling protectively around the small girl. His fur stood on end, and he growled threateningly. "How am I supposed to help someone that killed Mommy?!"

The purple-haired Oracle Knight looked over her shoulder at the blonde, basically ignoring the tensed and dangerous monster that was in front of her. "Did you fight the Liger Queen? Would have been in Cheagle Woods, around Engeve."

Cass shook her head. "No… Arietta," she said, raising the volume of her voice as she turned to look at the girl that used to be her enemy. "Arietta, I never hurt your mother. I've never been to the Cheagle Woods."

"There you go," Reyna said, turning to face the God-General again. "Legretta herself said that Cassia didn't join Fon Master Ion until after your mother was killed."

The liger stopped growling. He didn't even bother to stay standing; instead, he settled down and curled slightly around Arietta. The girl turned to look at her companion, almost like she was silently talking with him. In a way, Cassia supposed she was. If the Liger Queen was Arietta's mother, then this liger was probably her brother.

The older pair was quiet as Arietta consulted her liger. When Arietta finally directed her gaze back to Cass, she said, "You didn't kill my Hresvelgr. In Choral Castle."

That must have been her bird. "I didn't," Cass confirmed with a nod of her head.

There was a shorter bout of silence this time before the God-General broke it once more. "He's healed now; Legretta helped him. He can fly again."

"That's good. I'm glad," the blonde replied, smiling. And she was glad. She didn't _want_ to kill Arietta's Hresvelgr. If she did, she wouldn't have ignored it after clipping its wings—she would have stopped it from flying and used that advantage to get close and finish it off. This was a different liger, Cass could tell by the fur pattern on his face, and she didn't want to bring up Arietta's other companion just in case it hadn't survived the fight. She didn't think it did.

It took another moment for Arietta to speak again, but when she did she prefaced it with a small nod, covering her face a bit more with her doll. "This is for the commandant, right?" she mumbled. "Okay, I'll help you."

A sigh came from the side and both of the girls turned towards Reyna. "Glad that it's settled. I'll leave you two to it, then." And she left. The liger seemed to calm down, but Arietta made no motion to do anything. Instead, the Oracle Knight just stared up at Cass, her expression looking a bit less sad that usual and more curious than anything else.

"I don't know your name."

The statement startled Cass the slightest bit. But it made sense; Arietta didn't really interact with them at all aside from attacking them. And there was no real reason for her to know Cassia's name; she wasn't an Oracle Knight, she wasn't royalty. She was just herself.

"My name is Cassia," she replied kindly, sticking out her hand. Arietta took it tentatively. "You can call me Cass, if you want."

Arietta's eyes darted to her liger for a moment, and apparently the gesture meant something to the monster. With a sort of huffing sound, the huge creature pattered off to the side of the ring, picked something up and brought it back to the pink haired girl. A stick.

Cass frowned. Why were they playing fetch?

Instead of throwing the stick for the liger to pick up again, the monster went back to the edge of the cleared space, lying down with a _thump. _Its master followed in suit, sitting down on the ground right where she stood. Cass did the same, not really sure what they were going to do.

Using the stick, the God-General began to draw some weird shapes in the dirt. "Inscribe this in your Markings," she told Cass.

The blonde's frown deepened. She didn't know what that meant. "I don't… know what that means."

Arietta frowned right back up at her, "I didn't know about it until a few years ago, when Fon Master Ion and Van taught me. It's okay that you don't know." That wasn't necessarily something Cass expected to hear from someone of such an esteemed position in the Oracle Knights, but she didn't really _know_ anything about the Oracle Knights. Arietta always just seemed so… adept at fonic artes. It was weird to think that she didn't even know parts of it until recently.

Leaning back slightly, Arietta tucked her legs underneath herself and touched her forearm lightly. A white glyph shone through her dark sleeve. "This is a Marking," she explained. She spoke softly and rather slow, keeping her eyes on the glyph. "There's one for each type of fonon. If you put someone's fonon frequency into an open space, like this one," she gestured to an empty circle, one of three among the filled seven, "then your friends won't get hurt by fonic artes… I don't want you to hurt my friend, so I want you to put his fonon frequency in your Markings."

"What about you?"

Arietta shook her head. "You're new at this; I'll be okay. He's more important."

Cass pursed her lips, staring down at the scribbles Arietta had drawn. They looked _vaguely_ like letters and numbers, now that she actually looked at them. Writing must not have been something Arietta excelled in. "All right. How do I do this?"

"I need to know what fonon types you can use first," the God-General stated. "It won't work if you can't use the fonons."

She didn't know what fonons she could use. In Zao Ruins, Cass had used an attack of Second Fonons against Sync and Largo, but those were residual; she didn't gather them herself. Did that count? "I used Second Fonons once, but it was in a really dense area."

"…Field of Fonons don't count," Arietta stated. "Um, can we start with Rem? I'm most familiar with those and First Fonons, but you don't seem like you would be good with First Fonons." The girl turned towards her liger, as if asking his opinion. He lifted his head from his paws the slightest bit and yawned loudly, flicking his ears forward and backward. "He agrees."

Cass blinked. What was _that_ supposed to mean?

Without waiting for any input, the God-General picked up the stick again and began to draw a glyph, this being much clearer than the fonon frequency of the liger. When she finished, Arietta passed the stick to Cassia. "Draw this, but think about something that's related to the Sixth Fonon."

The Sixth Fonon? What could she think of that would best personify the Sixth Fonon? There was the sun, but that didn't seem right, somehow. That felt more… Fifth Fonon to her. Not really sure what she should do, she thought about Tear's artes, and about Anise's artes. Their fonic artes that utilized Rem were always so bright and radiant; they were pure and warm, but not in the way the heat of the sun was warm. Warm like a hug, or a smile. It was a comforting sort of warm.

Putting those thoughts to a color, Cass thought of an endless expanse of white. Not an endless plane of white, a desolate type of white, but more like a blanket—soft and warm and safe. She gave the color a sound: a soft chiming, like a bell or maybe a wind chime, being nudged softly by a gentle breeze. In the back of her mind, she realized that Arietta was telling her to touch the glyph, but the instructions were quickly drowned out by the sound she associated with the Sixth Fonon.

Once her fingers touched the drawing, it glowed weakly, a soft white light surrounding the indent on the ground. It dimmed almost instantly, and Cass frowned, all thoughts of comfort and white and chimes flowing from her mind. The moment the idea left her, she felt a prickle on her arm and from the corner of her eye a whiteness glowing from her upper arm.

"You did it," Arietta said quietly, and the older girl turned towards the God-General. "If you do this," she said, touching the Rem Marking on her arm and dragging it off. It remained suspended in the air. "You can add fonon frequencies to the Marking. You won't hurt your friends this way."

Nodding in understanding, Cassia mimicked Arietta's movements, bringing the glyph out in the air where it shone brightly. There were five empty circles, unlike Arietta's ten. There were space for more, though, and that seemed to be a guide of how much Cass would need to improve in using the Sixth Fonon before she was good at it. Taking a moment to admire the Marking, she noticed something that seemed odd.

There were six circles total, but five were empty.

One was filled, numbers glowing brightly in their enclosed space. Cass didn't know _who_ it was supposed to be, but she had apparently had practice with the Sixth Fonon in her past. Levi did say she was all right at casting fonic artes; apparently that extended to the Sixth Fonon.

Arietta scooted forward to better examine the glyph, and she also commented on how one of the spaces was already filled as the blonde inscribed the fonon frequency of the liger. It took some time for Cass to properly add the numbers to the glyph, and so Arietta continued to tell her that, if she didn't know someone's fonon frequency, adding their full name would also work. While they wouldn't be completely protected (they could still feel the heat from a fire arte, for example), they wouldn't get hurt from the arte.

"You should do the same thing with the other fonons, now," Arietta said, pausing for a moment. "Don't do the Seventh Fonon, though. Just touch your arm and think of fonons."

So she did, starting with the First Fonon. A void of coldness entered her mind with it, some sort of quiet, deep sounds accompanying the feeling she associated with Shadow. The Second Fonon was much easier, as were the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Fonons. As she was told, Cass didn't bother trying to do anything with the Seventh Fonon. She wouldn't know what to even imagine anyways.

"Let's not bother with the Fifth Fonon, Cassie," said Arietta, after examining all of the Marking glyphs Cass learned she had. "You didn't have a Marking, so I don't think you can use it. Your Second and First Marking glyphs aren't very good, either…"

They lapsed into a short silence, and Cass looked around since the God-General seemed to be deep in thought. Five types of fonons… that was a lot. Jade could use six; it was almost as much as him. And Kano could only use four. But she didn't remember how to use them, she didn't remember _any_ of the fonic artes she supposedly learned when she was younger. This practice session didn't help her at all in that regard, and that was the whole reason she was here! It was why Van brought her to Daath in the first place. How could she help if she didn't remember anything?

Arietta stood up suddenly, dusting off her skirt and startling Cassia out of her thoughts. The area looked different than she thought it would; the sky was suddenly taking on a slight pinkish tint, and a look towards the west shows off a sun that was about to be hidden by the towering Mount Zaleho. While there was still time before the sun disappeared, it would only be an hour or so—not nearly enough time to begin working on something new. "We can continue sometime later… uh, if that's what the others think is good…," the pink-haired girl said, starting to clean off her doll. Her liger got to his paws at this point and made his way over to his sister. "Markings are a really good start."

"They are," Cass nodded in agreement, pushing herself to her feet as well. "Thank you very much Arietta; it means a lot that you would offer to help me." Dusting off her own clothes, she turned her attention to the liger once more. While he was large and imposing, he didn't seem the least bit scary. Just a large cat. "I'm sorry about your family as well."

The God-General stopped cleaning herself, glancing over at her monster before staring at the blonde for a long few seconds. Her hands fiddled with the arms of her doll, and a quick glance at the liger made Cass realize that the movements looked similar to how cats flick their ears around to communicate.

Was that part of the reason that Arietta was able to communicate with monsters so effectively?

"I won't forgive the people that killed Mommy, or my brothers and sisters…" Arietta told her. The soft tone of voice Cass had become familiar with changed with the darker subject, taking on a sharp edge. "Yoon… you didn't fight Yoon, and you didn't kill my Hresvelgr. Pon seems… to trust you, so I'll trust you too."

It wasn't something she expected. She had been running away from Oracle Knights since Natalia first sent her into the Malkuth Empire, and Oracle Knights followed them the entire time, it seemed. Foot soldiers and God-Generals, they were on opposing sides. Arietta was a nice girl, though. She might be quiet, but Cass herself was too. And she was helping when she could have refused.

"I'll trust you too… And I promise, as long as I am here, I will help you and Van in any way I can," Cass swore.

Arietta covered her face once more with her doll, directing her attention back to the liger. Pon was his name, apparently. She continued to play with the arms of the doll, and Pon swished his tail, flicking his ears around in response.

"Um… Pon says that it would be okay if you wanted to meet our other brothers and sisters… if you wanted to."

"I would like that," Cass smiled. "Please just let me know when I can."

* * *

_To Dove: Thank you so, so much! I'm super happy you're enjoying my story so far. I hope you enjoy what's to come :)_


	21. Unleashed

**Disclaimer: **Tales of the Abyss and all characters therein do not belong to me. That honor goes to Namco Bandai. This story is for fun only, and I do not profit from it.

* * *

**Nederim**

Chapter 21 / Unleashed

_"Time is just a concept and always the first thing to fade… Years are cruel—they break us, bringing on decay and despair; awareness and perception: Something we can never repair." - Epica_

* * *

_"Woooow! That is _so _cool!" Levi gushed, metaphorical stars filling amber eyes. The black fabric of his pants was bunched up in his small hands, his knuckles a lighter color than the rest of his hands. Likely the effect from the partial explosion Cassia created with her arte._

_There was too much of something she couldn't control—too much fire when she should have gathered solely Sixth Fonons. Something was off in her technique; something was keeping her from being able to take in only the type of fonon she desired. She couldn't handle the Fifth Fonon, but for some reason she still managed to draw in enough to ruin light artes._

_Levi thought the explosion was cool, though, so instead of mentally berating herself then and there, Cassia pushed the negativity from her mind and expression, instead fixing a smile upon her face and gracing her friend with it. "Thank you," she replied sincerely. It had been so long since she had received such a genuine compliment from anyone, even her father. He had a tendency to praise only if he felt she deserved it. An arte like the one she just cast definitely wouldn't have fit those criteria. "Dad was still trying to help me before he left, but I don't really know what he is saying sometimes…" Her final word ended with a light sigh, and Cass made herself comfortable on the ground next to the silver-haired boy._

_"He's still teaching you, though," Levi pointed out. "Mother says I need to learn from her instead, because she can use Seventh Fonons and he can't."_

* * *

He entered the lab with a knock and no confirmation that he should enter. He'd been in here often. While it first started with a few times a month last year, the frequency of his visits increased exponentially over the last month.

Levi didn't know what was going on—not everything, at least—but what he was aware of was exciting. Just being in the laboratory of Dist the Reaper filled him with a sort of joy, a glimmer of excitement was permanently in his ochre eyes while he was here, regardless of what he was working on or the unfortunate company he had to keep.

The door slammed shut and locked automatically: they wouldn't want some random Oracle Knights to get in here. The sound clashed violently with the white noise of machines whirring, the hum of cooling systems, and the occasional _click_ of ones and zeros activating and deactivating various pieces of fon machinery. The mechanical orchestra won—its persistence and unyielding nature easily overcoming the jarring crash of the door and faint click of the lock—and the lab once more fell into relative silence.

Until Locrian Colonel Dist peaked out from behind one of the monitors. The white screen of the system glared on the lenses of his glasses, giving him that fitting 'mad scientist' expression that did not fit with that ridiculous collar he insisted on wearing.

Nor did it fit with his next sentence.

"Leviiii! This is incredibly urgent!" Dist exclaimed, swiveling his chair over to the Scorer and abandoning his spot at the computer. "Why did it take so long? None of the others could find you!"

"Conductor Dist," Levi greeted, completely ignoring the insistent tone of voice the God-General used. It didn't take him _that_ long to get here. Once Dist utilized the fontech he _made and gave to Levi for situations like this_, it was just three minutes. "If it was that urgent, you should have just gone straight for the messaging system. Most of the Oracle Knights here are idiots." Why bother to invent something like this if he wasn't going to even use it?

"I suppose you have a point," Dist pouted. "However! There are more important matters at hand. That conniving, duplicitous, _backstabbing…_"

Something about Jade the Necromancer.

How surprising.

Of _course_ this was the "urgent" matter.

"…Imperial Forces to once again trap us in his web while he escapes. We aren't sure where he slithered off to, but Legretta believes he will return with a plan and help within the week."

Levi had absolutely no idea what Dist was talking about, except that Jade was involved. He'd spent enough time with the God-General to know by that that not paying attention occasionally was fine; Dist had a habit of repeating important information for dramatic effect. "What would you like me to do?" he asked.

"Training hasn't worked so far, is that right?" The Scorer opened his mouth to reply, but apparently that was actually a rhetorical question as Dist spun his chair around. "Before leaving to Belkend for our research, the commandant decided it would be best to tell that friend of yours anything that would help her remember those artes."

"So you just want me to talk to Cass? What about Jade?"

The chair spun around again, quicker this time. Dist's gloved hand clenched around the fabric of the chair's arm. "He'll be back within a week! I know him better than anyone, and I _know_ he'll have the Jade Gang as support to kidnap the Fon Master and princess. Your orders are to stay away from the headquarters and open areas; await further instructions in the meantime. It's likely your role will need to be carried out ahead of schedule."

_Ahead of schedule_.

That was the one thing Levi didn't want to hear. He was close, _so close_, to fulfilling his mother's wishes. And of all people, it was _Jade_ that was going to ruin everything. It was like entry into the Second Division required being slighted by Jade the Necromancer sometime in life, whether it be past, present, or future.

Whatever. He could complain about the Necromancer with good company sometime later (never). Right now, he needed to keep Cass from knowing that Princess Natalia and the Fon Master were back. Dist would come up with a plan that would take him and Cass out of Daath, and Levi felt like he knew what it would entail.

"Understood," was all the Scorer said before turning on his heel and heading out of the lab.

Cass should be sparring with someone out in the training grounds right now, but he didn't want to head there right away. He needed to pick something up first before he interrupted. Levi's quarters were a few minutes away, and his path brought him to his bed. The mattress was lifted into the air and placed back not a second later, but not before the two items that were hidden beneath were removed.

* * *

_"Okay… I think I get it," Levi said slowly, rubbing his temples as if warding off a headache. "You're thinking about… what you think a fonon is? So for wind, you just think about wind? Is that right?" _

_Cass considered his words, comparing them to what she just said. It was certainly more concise than her explanation. "Yes, that's correct," was Cass's reply, and Levi's shoulders released the tension she hadn't been aware they held until that moment. The boy closed his eyes and dropped his hands from his forehead, taking a moment before talking once more._

_"That's the issue," he told her. "Fonons are a combination of elemental properties _and_ sound. You seem fine with the elemental part of them, but since you aren't a Seventh Fonist, the sound part is what's difficult, right?" At his question, the girl nodded somberly. "You need to feel the vibration too. That's what _really_ distinguishes Sixth from Fifth Fonons. If you gather fonons you can't control, you'll seriously hurt someone!"_

_She knew that. She knew she couldn't use Fifth Fonons and she knew she couldn't distinguish them from Sixth Fonons. Cass didn't understand why, and her father was gone—had been for a month now—so she couldn't ask him about it. Sonel could only use Seventh Fonons, and… they didn't get along, so Cass couldn't ask her. _

_"Mother doesn't get home until dark today, so let's practice!" Levi decided, giving her a wide, toothy grin. "Put my fonon frequency in your Markings first, then I can help you until sundown!"_

* * *

"Hey—wai—tch—stop for a second!"

Sync seemed like he was having fun.

And while he might usually find someone trying to square off against this particular God-General mildly amusing at best, this wasn't necessarily a time that Levi did. He wasn't getting attacked, thank _Lorelei_—he was a Scorer, _not_ a fighter!—but he didn't exactly want to die due the overwhelming area his artes effected.

Another arte rocked the area, and even though he was a good distance away from the fray, Levi could still feel the overwhelming power behind the fonic arte. This one cleared debris in the air much quicker than the one before it, artes of the Third Fonon usually did that, and with the air clear he could make out a lanky figure that wasn't Sync, running away as if her life depended on it.

And, seeing as how it was _Sync the Tempest_, it probably did.

But that wasn't the _point_ of this practice match. Cass was supposed to be focusing on casting artes in combat now, not running away. She might be able to gather fonons again, but clearly she still sucked at it, otherwise she would be casting every once in a while instead of never.

Sync didn't listen to the lowly Scorer. He raced towards the girl again, leaving another trail of dust in his wake. Cass had turned towards the God-General this time, facing him resolutely despite the fact that he was so far out of her league. "She needs to learn to cast in combat, that's the whole reason Van even brought her here!" Sync shouted, apparently having decided now would be a good time to have a conversation: while delivering a punch to Cassia's right shoulder. She leaned to the left, taking a solid step backward at the same time and avoided his blow.

Cass was unarmed, yet despite the disadvantage she still managed to think clearly. The God-General followed his punch with a lightning-fast sidestep toward her, nearly fast enough that she stumbled backwards out of sheer surprise. She held her own, dodging a roundhouse kick and suddenly reaching out, grabbing onto one of the cords on his uniform that hung from his arm.

The blonde crouched down and tugged, hard, trying to knock Sync off balance.

It was a strategy the God-General must have encountered before, because despite all the effort Cass put into her attack, Sync didn't fall. No, he grabbed the cord and yanked on it, his strength overpowering the girl's easily. The energy threw her off balance, and she was forcefully removed from her crouch, stumbling low to the ground in the direction of her opponent.

She was back in his range of attack, and the Scorer simply stood and watched as he delivered another kick, this one making contact with her face and knocking her back a few feet. She scrambled to her hands and knees—eyes shut tightly—but she didn't get to her feet. Her face was covered in blood from the blow, but it was a head wound and Sync wasn't giving it his all, so it probably looked much worse than it actually was.

The God-General finally moved, approaching her slowly and languidly—a sharp contrast to his onslaught just seconds before. Levi couldn't hope to figure out what was going through Sync's mind at this point, so instead he focused his frown on Cass. She was still on the ground.

How could someone be so _stupid?_ If she was done she needed to say something.

Cass was clearly too out of it to verbally surrender, so Levi took it upon himself to end the fight now that it didn't seem like Sync was going to attack anytime soon. He made his way into the clearing, towards the God-General, ready to yell for the end of the spar, when he realized he missed something important.

The Scorer cursed internally, hastily gathering Seventh Fonons. He hadn't realized that Cass was actually going to cast an arte! Levi couldn't feel the wind fonons—the ones from Sync's earth fonic artes had overwhelmed his senses since that was what he was familiar with. But Cass could, and she had been making use of the God-General's last fonic arte.

He hadn't heard the fon verse—the sharp decrease in residual fonons was what gave her away. "Photon!" Cass yelled, finally releasing a fonic arte of her own. A basic arte, but definitely packing enough of a punch for Levi to cast Barrier and avoid any damage. Sync was close enough to benefit from the Scorer's arte, so ultimately all of the effort Cass put into her spell was for naught.

Sync stayed put, crossing his arms over his chest and staring down at Cass who was _still_ on the ground. Levi sighed loudly, making his way over to the girl and offering a hand. "Get up," he told her. "You have too much work to do still."

The blonde looked up, met Levi's eyes before closing her own and wiping the blood away on her sleeve. Reaching up, Cass gripped the offered hand tightly, and he hoisted her back to her feet. Quietly she thanked the Scorer, then turned her attention to the God-General who was already making his way back to the cathedral without a word. She watched him silently, a frown on her lips, before the sensation of a healing arte brought her attention back to the Oracle Knight beside her.

"Your arte took too much time for being a basic one," Levi told her, making his way back to the cathedral. She didn't follow after until a few steps later. "How're you gathering fonons? You're probably doing it wrong."

She didn't reply. In fact, when he looked back at her, she was standing in place again. It didn't look like she would be moving anytime soon, either. Levi scowled, marching back to Cass and flicking her forehead. She winced at the contact, but the fact that she didn't even move until after just proved how out of it she still was. "If this is about how Sync beat you, you need to get over it," Levi said. "He's a God-General, and apparently he's always like that."

Cass blinked twice before shaking her head. "It's about Sync," she admitted, "but I expected to lose; I've fought him before…" He didn't ask when because he didn't necessarily care, but the way she trailed off made him stay silent so she could finish thinking and speaking. "He's a replica, isn't he?"

Levi's eyebrows disappeared underneath his bangs at the question. Of everything he could have expected Cass to say about the God-General, this was certainly not it. "A _replica?_" he repeated, disbelief lacing his words.

"I saw his face once… months ago," Cassia continued. "He looks like the Fon Master, too much so to be his twin, I think… I know replicas exist. Is Sync a replica of Ion?"

Working with Dist on his experiments, Levi knew much more about fomicry than most, even in the military. The conversations he had with Commandant Grants were few and far in between, but between those, Dist's loud mouth, and just observing, the Scorer was able to put two and two together. There was clearly some replication of Fon Master Ion that happened in the past few years. He wasn't aware of the extent, but the evidence was obvious. Why _else_ would Sync wear a mask, after all?

Cass had always been very observant and introspective. If she saw Sync's face—much more than Levi had—then this was just the nail in the coffin to his idea. He didn't answer right away. Instead, he countered with another question. "Would it matter if Sync was a replica?"

Her lips pursed and instead of answering right away, Cass seemed to think over his question seriously. Finally her legs moved, and they made their way back to the cathedral as she continued to think. "I don't like replicas," she finally admitted once the pair reached the second floor. She fell silent once more as they continued to another staircase, and just as Levi was about to ask 'why,' Cass spoke up again.

"They aren't… real, I suppose… They're like landships."

This time it was Levi who stopped walking.

What the hell did _that_ mean?

Cass looked back, probably because the Oracle Knight stopped walking this time and she didn't want to get lost again. Upon seeing his expression, Cass tried again. "I mean…" she started slowly, trying to organize her thoughts in a way that would _hopefully_ make more sense. "If you replicate a landship, you have twice as much destruction." She paused, looking at Levi again.

With his brow wrinkled and eyes betraying the utter confusion he felt, Levi had nothing to say in response except, "…I have _no idea_ what you're trying to say, Cass."

"My apolo—uh, I'm sorry. Let's continue; I'll gather my thoughts."

And so, with one more flabbergasted look, Levi turned away and started to make his way back to the eighth floor of the cathedral, the older girl trailing behind him. She was slower this time, but that was because she was obviously thinking really hard about how to actually say something coherent and meaningful.

By the time they arrived on the seventh floor, Cass emerged from her thoughts, something vaguely resembling a triumphant grin on her face. In reality, she just looked slightly more pleased than usual. But Cass wasn't exactly overly-expressive. Never had been.

"To begin, I like trees." Levi had to take a deep breath to keep himself from physically bashing his head against the wall at her explanations. _He couldn't stand this_! "If you were to replicate a tree," she continued, completely oblivious to the Scorer's torment, "the replicated tree just seems to be a replacement for the first tree. However, the first tree was fine; there was no need for the second tree. It isn't fair to the original tree.

"With inorganic replicas, like landships… if there were more landships, then they would hurt more trees."

Levi exhaled loudly, finally reaching Cass's room and opening the door. They entered and he shut the door before pressing his palm to his forehead. The more pressure he put on his head, the more deep breaths he took, the better he felt. "So what you're saying is," he began, "with organic matter, you feel that the replica is a replacement that isn't needed. And with inorganic matter, you don't like replicas because… they hurt trees. Is that right?"

"Yes, that's correct," Cass confirmed solemnly. "Organics… people, in particular. They should not be replicated. It seems like an attempt to replace a human with an object. It isn't the same, nor is it an acceptable substitute."

The Seventh Fonist could see where she was coming from, and he figured she was talking about that kid Dist kept yelling about. The name escaped him, but he was travelling with Colonel Jade Curtiss last he heard. Apparently not anymore or else he would have also been kept in the Oracle Knight HQ.

While Levi's views on replication didn't agree with Cassia's, he wouldn't say anything about them. To him, replicas were beyond interesting: the pinnacle of research that he strived to have a larger role in. At the moment it was just basic fontech and formulae, but if he could actually _perform_ a fomicry experiment…

He never would have been interested in this stuff beforehand. While his current engineering ideas were great time-consumers, they all seemed so… lackluster in comparison. It was part of the reason he was placed in the Second Division Oracle Knights, and why he worked so closely with Dist the Reaper on whatever Commandant Grants was planning. The details were never really expounded on, but…

Every scientist dreams of doing a fomicry experiment at least once. And he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that fomicry was involved with Commandant Grant's plan.

"I get what you mean now, but to answer your question I have no idea. It's not like I really talk to any of the God-Generals except for Dist," Levi replied nonchalantly, "and I don't even see him that much." And he didn't. While he had been spending more time in the lab, the Scorer couldn't do much more than basic work on the fontech. Dist was the one creating everything, and rarely did he ask for assistance.

"I see," was all Cassia replied with, taking a seat at one of the chairs in her room. She gestured for Levi to take the only other chair, and so he did, pushing aside a pile of opened envelopes and unsent letters. "Why did you interrupt my training? I thought I was improving…"

"You are," Levi assured her, "but Commandant Grants needs your help soon. And I'm here to help you help him. I want to talk about that bit of that fight I saw first, though. How're you gathering fonons?"

The Scorer steeled himself for another horrible explanation, wishing that healing artes could work on migraines.

"You helped me with this before, is that correct?"

… Today was certainly full of surprises.

"I remembered, I think… when we were younger," Cass continued. Her expression was blank, but her usually unfocused eyes were scrutinizing the boy across the table. It made him vaguely uncomfortable. "I had trouble distinguishing Fifth Fonons and Sixth Fonons, and you told me to feel the vibrations."

"Uh, yeah, that's right…" He could barely even remember that, but he must have been young at the time. Cass had nearly four years on him, so it would make sense that she remembered this when he couldn't. Even if it was just a dream and never happened, Van wanted her to remember things, so Levi wouldn't shoot her down about this.

"It was after Arietta helped me and we visited her ligers…" The blonde paused, closing her eyes and instantly allowing the Scorer to relax. After a short moment Cass brought a Marking glyph out in the open. "This one is yours?" she asked, and after a quick glance the teen nodded, easily recognizing his fonon frequency written among the three in the glyph. "I remembered, so I've been feeling the vibrations of fonons… it's difficult, but getting easier every day."

"Your eyes were closed when you cast Photon," Levi said. "Don't do that; your eyes are the biggest fon slot in your body. Your arte could have been quicker _and _stronger." Thinking back to the amount of time she spent gathering fonons for the arte, and the power behind a dumb novice arte, he realized that if she just paid attention to her body, she would be fine in terms of casting fonic artes again. Could probably easily cast mid-level fonic artes in the time she spent on that Photon if he was being honest.

"Sounds like if you keep that in mind, you're solid!" he exclaimed, lips twitching upwards into a smirk at her confused look. "Now, Van wanted me to help with your memory, so go ahead—ask me anything."

* * *

Anything.

There was so much that Cass wanted to ask, and she didn't even know half of the questions she wanted answers to. Was there a limit to how many questions she could ask? Maybe topics? Levi did say anything, but surely he couldn't mean _anything_. There was always something that was off limits, something people refused to talk about regardless of how open they seemed to be about everything else. She thought she was close to Luke, for example. But that didn't stop the replica from keeping its plans to itself and _destroying_ a city.

She glanced out of the window, trying to gauge the time of day. Levi looked like he was making himself comfortable from across the table, so she assumed that he was planning on being in here for a while. Not wanting to keep him waiting, Cass asked the first question that popped into her mind. "How do we know each other?"

The Scorer made some sort of acknowledging sound, nodding in response. "That's always a good place to start," he replied. "We grew up together. My mother was very close to your family and you aren't too much older than I am, so we would play together when we were younger. I'm sure you know this already based on what you said, but once we got older we'd help each other with fonic artes and whatnot."

That was a good question to start off with—it opened up the possibility of many more questions. Where should she go from here? She could ask about her family, about Kano and Calomel, but there was a good chance that he wasn't familiar with her parents; he did say he was younger than she was. Cass considered her options and what Levi would know for a moment before deciding. "Where?" was her one word inquiry.

Levi stuck out his tongue for a brief second, looking around her room with a furrowed brow. "Can I write on these?" he asked, picking up a blank piece of paper she had on the table. "You don't have a map, so I'll draw it out," he continued, still waiting expectantly for a reply. When she nodded in confirmation, the Oracle Knight picked up the pen and began to draw a rather accurate map of Auldrant.

Her eyebrows rose as she watched him draw. He did it so easily, not even pausing to consider how each landmass looked. And it ended up looking just like any map she could remember looking at. "Right here," Levi said once he finished. Turning the paper so his north arrow pointed away from her, he gestured to one of the larger islands in the Central Ocean. It stood just off the western coast of Rugnica, close to where the Malkuth capital was.

"Yesod: The Home of Spirits, part of the Malkuth Empire. Completely incorrect name, by the way, but that's what history does. Half is wrong, and the other half is _mostly_ right but completely embellished."

The Malkuth Empire? She was born in Malkuth? That wasn't something that was entirely important now, but it was still nice to know. Cass wouldn't have known what to think if she discovered this _before_ chasing that replica around Auldrant. Regardless of her nationality, the second part of Levi's statement confused her. Not taking her eyes off of the map for a moment, she asked, "What do you mean?"

"Here's the thing," Levi started, his voice rising in volume. The sudden change startled the blonde's attention away from the paper and to the person in front of her. As he removed the cap and placed it back on multiple times—almost like he was trying to keep himself occupied—the Scorer continued. "There's no 'spirits' in Yesod. It's basically all mountains and used to have a few fishing villages along the coast until a few years back, when everything got swept away by that tsunami. Anyway, the only reason it has this name is because of Yulia. Or, rather, what the world made of _that_ story."

Van clearly wasn't joking when he said he would help Cassia remember her past. Levi had made a point to stay away from her, whether he was busy or just intentionally avoiding her she didn't know. It didn't seem like he minded her company at the moment, but he was here because of Van. And she had already learned so much.

Yesod was her home. The short description Levi gave her fit with what she remembered stressing over _years_ ago. There was a plant that she recognized, but even with help she wasn't able to pinpoint the location it grows in; she only knew the climate.

Cinnamomum. Thrives in medium-high elevations in relatively dry climate. Mountainous terrain would match this description, depending on what side of the mountain the plants were on. It fit with her previous knowledge, so Cass decided to ask something else.

Before she opened her mouth, Levi decided to speak. "Do you know the story of Yulia Jue and her ten disciples?"

She knew of Yulia, but she still felt confused. "It's Yulia and the Seven Sages… isn't it?" Cass didn't know. When she learned about this with Luke, she only remembered seven of Yulia's followers being mentioned. Where was he getting ten from?

Levi smirked. "Nope, it's ten. Two died and one betrayed Yulia. All of them weren't classified as sages because of this. Here, check these out." He paused, digging into his Oracle Knight regalia. It was a moment before he pulled his hand back and gently placed two objects onto the table, right on top of his map.

A brown gem and a green one. Neither was large, nor were they the same shape. The brown one was unpolished and was surrounded by pieces of different rocks and minerals, giving it a very rough appearance. Its luster was beautiful—glimmering with the way the sun streamed through the window and onto the table—but overall it was best described as uncut and unpolished. The green one was the opposite: cut into an oval but with no visible surfaces. It was rounded, but refused to roll on the table.

She didn't have the opportunity to ask what they were, even though the brown one looked so incredibly familiar to her.

"Do the names Lugus Micah or Lugus Bres sound familiar?"

Cass shook her head.

Levi leaned back in his chair, rolling his shoulders before stretching his arms slightly. "There's still an hour or so before I have to go do other things. How about story time, Cass?"

* * *

**NOTE ABOUT NAMING: CASSIA &amp; YESOD**

Cassia: This might have been pretty obvious after awhile, but her name follows the Malkuth naming scheme of minerals and plants. Originally she was just "Cass," from the mineral cassiterite. But, like Natalia, I thought it was too short. Cassia is a type of cinnamon, of the cinnamomum genus of plants. Some types of this plant DO grow in the mountains. So it fits both the plant (Peony, Gailardia) as well as geology (Jadeite, Nephrite) bill. I mentioned before that my names have something Biblical about them. Cassia is mentioned in Proverbs and other books, mostly for incense smells and stuff.

Yesod: Malkuth cities (and the empire itself...) are Sephirot (branches) in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life (like Yggdrasil in Norse mythology). Yesod is known as the foundation for the tree. Supposedly, Kimlascan cities are named after the Qliphoth, which are the "shadow" of the Sephirot branches. Yesod isn't actually in the game, but why not do something with those islands in the Central Ocean?

there's a ton of really cool naming conventions in abyss lmao i just go overboard...


	22. Kings of Yore

**Disclaimer: **Tales of the Abyss and all characters therein do not belong to me. That honor goes to Bandai Namco. This story is for fun only, and I do not profit from it.

* * *

**Nederim**

Chapter 22 / Kings of Yore

_"There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved." – Charles Darwin_

* * *

_The Seventh Fonon was discovered in the kingdom of Keter, by the famous Doctor Southern-Cross. Now we know what makes it so different than the other six, but back then its discovery—and subsequent research into it—changed how the ruling countries went about their business._

_His research into Seventh Fonons would have been nothing—completely nonexistent—without the assistance of Yulia Jue. She was a genius in everything, from fonic artes to fontech, but that didn't help her with the people of Hod. There was something weird about her, and supposedly she was more or less abandoned by her own family because she could predict the future. No one knew why she could at the time, but Doctor Southern-Cross's interest was piqued and so he took her in._

_The depth of their relationship isn't expounded on in the history books, and even we don't necessarily know how well he treated Yulia during her time as an apprentice. At the time they were researching one of the Sephiroth in Keter. Yulia made observations of the Seventh Fonon, described it to Doctor Southern-Cross, and ultimately created one of the first fonstones in existence. No one knows what was written on it; based on the events that followed, it was likely war._

_Regardless of its contents, Doctor Southern-Cross dug more into Seventh Fonons, using Yulia as both a test subject and a research partner. Her abilities with the Seventh Fonon revealed that it could be used to read the planet's memory and learn the future, resulting in a fonstone. Cheagles were used as test subjects in their research, but this was only after Yulia learned that the Seventh Fonon could heal._

"She loved cheagles, you know. That's why they're the symbol of the Order of Lorelei. They were like pets, and she was happy to her use abilities to heal them. Their research was only the tip of the iceberg, though. You know what happens next, right?"

_His research is published, and the ruling countries get up in arms about it, literally. The world is divided in two: the Foreseers that favor the creation and reading of what is now known as the Score, and Deniers, those who are against it. Yulia was six_—"she did all this when she was six, can you believe that?"_—and the Fonic War lasts for ten years._

_Half of the world's population vanished in the first month._

_Hod and Keter—the closest things to home Yulia had—were devastated._

* * *

**BD 2707**

* * *

"This isn't good," Micah announced, mainly speaking to herself. She wanted to stay out of this, she had no reason to go about and meddle in the affairs of warmongering countries—not when she had her own people to look after.

Yesod had remained safe for now; the tools of destruction had left _some_ of the island nations intact. Hod wasn't so lucky in that regard. But Hod's state was none of her concern. All of the nations could have ultimately ruined themselves like they ruined Hod and Keter for all she cared. Now they were ruining the entire _planet._

And that was not something she took lightly.

She turned on her heel, robes of blue, red, and gold swishing at her movements. The wooden floors of the building made her footsteps fall nearly silently. No one passed her as she walked through the corridors—the silence caused by death and the desire to choose a side in the war.

Micah understood the basics of why the miasma appeared. That contraption that was created to better circulate fonons around the world was stressed, war and its weapons putting such intense strain on the Planet Storm that it couldn't function as it should have. Fonic weapons were _destroying_ the world, from the surface and from the interior. Auldrant simply wouldn't be able to handle the strain much longer, and humankind would eventually perish because of the gas. That is, of course, if war didn't wipe them all out first.

The planet was crying out, begging for salvation, even if it meant its end.

She couldn't stand on the sidelines anymore and let this happen. She had to do something, and she knew where to begin: the Seventh Fonon. Micah was forced to read scientific articles, one after another, to become better acquainted with the _absolute lack of substance _behind this new fonon. The fact that a war broke out over this would have been laughable had it not been such a dire situation. Where was the aggregate sentience behind its existence? Where was the proof of his or her place in Auldrant? What made the Seventh Fonon so special that it would cause a war, when the proven existence of Ifrit, Rem, Sylph, and the others had no such backlash?

It may have been said that it could be used to read Mother Auldrant's memory, but what good what that do? Force people into chains and prevent them from living their lives? It was petty knowledge to obtain, but she supposed that humans as a species were petty at best.

She knocked tersely and Lugus Bres's wife greeted Micah at the door, letting her in. "Lugus Micah, are you here to help Nuada?"

She wasn't, but there was no harm in helping her nephew. With the miasma encroaching on Yesod, she had to do what she could to protect him, as young as he was. Micah nodded, mentioned that she was there to speak with her brother as well, before having her sister-in-law lead the way to Nuada's room. A plea to Sylph granted Micah the power to protect the air around Nuada, at least for now.

"Where is my brother?" Micah demanded, and soon she was led into another room.

Bres was there, and with a single look the twins were able to communicate in a way that is reserved only for those who knew one another on the deepest level. They had gone through everything, they knew what the other was thinking and feeling with a single glance, and that was why Bres became crestfallen. "You're leaving," he stated.

"I am," Micah confirmed, steeling her expression and remaining stoic. "I'm not sure where, but I need to do something. I'm here to teach you my verses. Do you accept, Lugus Bres?" Just in case. She wanted to return home, but at the rate everything was happening, she didn't know if she would make it back.

Bres covered his face with his hand, slowly running it down until his palm once again met air. He stood, blank faced, yet now defeat and acceptance were written in his eyes. His eyes were always the mirror to his soul. "Lugus Micah, I accept the honor."

There was no reason to talk his sister out of leaving. She would leave and somehow manage to _save_ Mother Auldrant. He could tell himself all he wanted that it was just a precaution, that she just wanted him to be able to protect Nuada until the miasma vanished. He couldn't use Third Fonons, and neither could his wife. Either Micah would need to come back, or she would need to get rid of the miasma. He hoped for both, but she seemed resigned to only fulfil the latter. She taught him what her aunt and father did: fonic artes passed down by word of mouth only, and only with one other person present. Nuada would learn them when he came of age, and so would any other of Bres's children.

"I'll bring a fonist that can use at least the Third Fonon to help you for now, if you'd like. As a precaution," Micah told her brother. She would need to choose wisely. With the dwindling population of Yesod, it might be difficult to find someone that was an efficient fonist _and_ fit Sylph's requirements.

Bres nodded, giving her the go ahead to bring in someone they both trusted.

The exchange concluded, and there was a split second in which neither moved. But it passed in the blink of an eye, and soon they gave their final farewells.

Lugus Micah would not return home. She would find someone that could protect her family and then leave her home for good.

* * *

"I've been waiting for you."

The girl was a teenager, hardly what Micah was expecting from the associate of Doctor Southern-Cross. Three people accompanied her, and none were the aforementioned doctor. One was a younger man she would come to know as Freyr Albert, another was middle-aged archer hailing from the state of Kimlasca, and the last was another swordsman by the name of Walter Sigmund.

"You're here to help with the miasma, isn't that right? I need to apply a vibration to the core that will interfere with and stop its current vibration. You're supposed to help me with this, Lugus Micah." Her powers of foresight were frightening and awe-inspiring. Micah hadn't spoken a single word, the teenager had only just turned to face her, and yet Yulia Jue knew who she was and why she was here. What else did she know?

Was this the true power of the Seventh Fonon?

"I'm Yulia. Yulia Jue," the girl introduced herself, a bright grin on her lips. Yulia stuck out her hand for a handshake, and Micah was momentarily stunned by her utter sincerity and how clear it was in every one of her gestures. "I need to make a pact with Lorelei, but I'm not quite sure how to go about doing this. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to just pick and choose what part of Auldrant's memory I get to read." She trailed off with an embarrassed laugh, like it was just a careless mistake that she couldn't pull out something so specific when she wanted. Like other people could do that easily. "You're a lugus, right? So you know what I need to do to form a pact with an aggregate sentience, right?"

She was just a _child_. She was hardly into her teens and she knew what she needed to do for Auldrant. Yulia's resolve was as clear as day, and with her earnest questions, Micah decided that she could divulge in her home's secrets. For this girl, so she could make a pact that no one else had before.

"…You'll need proof of the pact," Micah explained. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a simple necklace that held a red gem. "This is proof of the pact with Ifrit. Your… Lorelei…. will decide whether it is suitable. Proof of the covenant must resonate with the spirit."

"It needs to resonate?" Yulia repeated, and Micah nodded. "Does it need a jewel like Ifrit's?" Micah nodded once more, though to be honest she wasn't sure in this case. She never saw her brother's proof of his pacts, but hers—passed down through their family—all had jewels. "Okay!" Yulia clapped her hands. "I think I know what I want. Freyr, can you make me a sword?"

Freyr nodded, and he began forging the weapon according to Yulia's plan. It took seven days for a sword that suited Yulia to be created, and in that time Yulia created her own gem to go with the sword: transparent and red, containing a small fonstone within. The Jewel of Lorelei came into being, and Yulia Jue's group of disciples increased in number. An older fonist and a female one, as well as a man by the name of Francis Daath joined at the port town they were staying in while Freyr worked. The teenaged girl had found them herself, and when she brought them back to the group, she announced that she had seen them being part of the group.

On the seventh day Freyr completed the sword. The sword itself was unconventional, hardly looking like a typical blade. Yulia placed the gem close to the hilt, where a hand guard would have normally been located. The structure was odd, but Micah couldn't help but admit that its design not only fit Yulia, but everything she had come to learn about the Seventh Fonon. Up until this point the leader of the group had kept her plan to herself, but as the sun began to set, she told her seven disciples what she was going to do.

"I call it the Sword of Lorelei, didn't Freyr do a nice job on it?" The question was treated as rhetorical, and it was moments like these that let Micah appreciate Yulia. She was young, and despite the responsibility she had taken on, she still managed to remain true to herself. At the comment Freyr turned away, face flushed and the silence was dispelled by Yulia's awkward chuckle. "Eheh… Anyway!" she cleared her throat, suddenly becoming serious. "Doctor Southern-Cross's Planet Storm is going to fail soon, with the stress of fonic weaponry. I've devised a way to calm the vibration in the core, but it will only stop once we manage to end this war. I've also thought of a way to create the Planet Storm that utilizes Auldrant's own circulation system.

"Before anything, I need to make a pact with Lorelei—the aggregate sentience of the Seventh Fonon. Lorelei will allow me to alter the Sephiroth in a way to create an alternate Planet Storm—assuming my hypothesis holds, at least. There's also something else I want to do… if you all will stay by my side."

She sounded so unsure of herself, so unlike the confident and strong young woman she was. But her disciples could understand why she was this way. Prolonged time in the company of Yulia made them all aware of what her childhood was like; of how utterly abandoned she was as a child.

They wouldn't leave her; how could they? And so the seven disciples told Yulia this, and Yulia smiled.

"It's so great to have such wonderful friends…"

* * *

Yulia and Micah studied a map of Auldrant with a critical eye as their craft flew through the skies. "The Sephiroth in Keter is likely the right location, right, Micah?" the younger girl asked, turning to the lugus for confirmation.

Micah nodded in agreement. "The ones at the poles are the only possible locations; the other spirits reside close to the others due to the large amount of fonons at each Sephiroth. You said that the one in Keter was the point where memory particles circulated back into the core?"

"Mhmm," Yulia confirmed. "My research concluded that the one in Keter is where they all go back to the core. I've tentatively coined the term 'Absorption Gate' for this Sephiroth, and 'Radiation Gate' for the one south of Ispania, since that's where memory particles are removed from the core and into the Lift Zone*. Most memory particles stay in the Lift Zone when they bond with the first six fonons, but those that don't—Seventh Fonons—continue into the Fon Belt. It's about 150 kilometers above the crust."

"I see. Then yes, I would think your Absorption Gate would be the best location to reach the aggregate sentience of the Seventh Fonon. It seems like it would ultimately have the largest concentration of Seventh Fonons."

"I was thinking the same thing," Yulia concurred. "We'll stay on course then… Aside from my proof of the covenant, is there anything else I need to prepare for my pact?"

Micah told her, "Your sword will be infused with its power once the pact is made, but there's one more thing: you need words of the pact. A fon verse, if you will. I'm not able to give you an example of this—these fon verses and their fonic artes are something that have not been taught to anyone that is not from my home."

"A fon verse…" Yulia mumbled, eyebrows furrowing in thought. She didn't have much time to continue thinking about what to do about this last piece, because soon Walter announced that they had finally arrived at one of Keter's Sephiroth… Yulia's Absorption Gate. "Let's go," she announced, getting to her feet. "We're almost done."

The air was frigid, but Yulia's group had nowhere else to go to hide from the climate. Micah used Ifrit's heat in an attempt to keep the others warm as Yulia attempted to form her pact.

No one followed as Yulia moved forward on her own, proof of the covenant in her grip. A simple fonic arte kept her warm as she continued into the tundra before she reached the place she needed to. Seventh Fonons, so concentrated to the point where they were nearly about to coalesce and become visible to the naked eye surrounded her, falling into the void that was known as the Absorption Gate. "This is it," Yulia said aloud, even though no one would be able to hear her over the howling wind, or even see her from the other side of snow drifts. She was utterly alone; no one would see what she was about to do. The Seventh Fonist took a deep breath, steeling herself for what was to come. She only had a vague idea of what would happen; she hadn't bothered to use her foresight to try and see this event in detail.

"Lorelei!" she shouted, her voice loud enough to carry on the wind to her disciples. Still, they stayed where they were and remained as observers. "I'm here to make a pact with you! Please, we need your help!"

Lorelei responded.

The aggregate sentience was not static; no, its appearance was constantly in flux, always changing, and Yulia could not find it more fitting. There were a plethora of sounds, each one unique and beautiful in its own way, and the embodiment of the Seventh Fonon could not have personified this any better. Moments of silence between the two passed by, but Yulia remained vigilant. She had to do this, for Auldrant and everything she loved.

Lorelei spoke then, a voice as ephemeral as its appearance, constantly shifting in tone and pitch. It asked her what she intended to do with a pact, and so she told it: "I intend so save Auldrant, to put an end to the war, to keep the planet from destroying itself. I want… I need to protect everything I care about. I need your help to stop the core's vibration."

She didn't expound on her plan. She didn't know what Lorelei would think of it. Yulia stood there, proud and tall and expectant, waiting for the spirit's reply. Lorelei accepted her terms, but needed words to go with it, so it would know when to come to her aid.

And so she sang.

Yulia poured her heart and soul into the fonic hymn, channeling all fonons into it as she sang. Her feelings on the war. Her desire to save and protect. The need to help her friends, and everyone, the way they helped her. All of her ideas to bring Auldrant back to the way it was—to end its pain without destroying the planet. Her resolve to end the war through any means necessary, to get rid of all the evil in the world. The redemption she sought for the world and everyone on it. And finally, she willed Lorelei to put trust into her, to believe what she sang, because her song was who she was.

The aggregate sentience responded to Yulia's fonic hymn quickly, but not in the form of words or vibrations—instead, Lorelei approached the fonist, being drawn into the sword that she had as proof of their pact. Yulia could feel its power, and then understood the reason behind the gem and its holder—the sword in her case. They worked together. The sword was a sort of capacity core, gathering Seventh Fonons and amplifying them until the jewel was used to disperse them.

The power she held in her hands, in the Key of Lorelei, was overwhelming.

Yulia didn't spend long admiring the power behind the aggregate sentience. It was clear Lorelei accepted the terms of the pact, understood her reasons for everything. All she needed to do now was rebuild the Planet Storm. Approaching the void, Yulia continued to sing and Lorelei responded to her, fulfilling her wishes and creating a new Planet Storm out of the planet itself, using the Absorption and Radiation Gates to circulate memory particles better than her mentor's device ever did. Everything was complete—Yulia could tell by the feeling in her fon slots. Everything worked.

She let out a relieved breath. Even though all her calculations pointed to this working, she still had some doubts about the execution of her plan. But it all worked. Yulia thanked Lorelei, inscribing a glyph into the ground next to the Absorption Gate. That should control everything, but it was too easy to access by anyone.

Yulia returned to her disciples, Key of Lorelei no longer in her possession. It had long been dropped into the void saturated with memory particles, likely making its way to the core. She asked them for help to make the Absorption Gate protected, so no one would be able to interfere with the glyph. And that led to the creation of the first passage ring. The passage ring was still accessible, but Yulia created Yulian seals to prevent the ring from ever being used by someone that did not have her blood.

Her homeland Hod was revived with her fonic hymns once her glyph for the Planet Storm was protected.

* * *

_War continued. Why would it stop after this small group only rebuilt the Planet Storm? Yulia did gain another three disciples after she revitalized Hod, but ultimately the core was still vibrating and emitting miasma. While Lugus Micah couldn't leave Yulia's side—supposedly she _refused_ to—she managed to convince the other disciples to help her make a structure to protect her brother's family from the miasma that was growing denser every day._

_They helped her, and it was sometime after this that the Fonic War reached its turning point. Casualties were still high, the population was either dying from the fighting or miasma poisoning. With no other choice, Yulia managed to capture the world's attention and read the Planet Score. The fonstones were huge, and after making them Yulia warned that, if the warring countries kept this up any longer, the whole planet would be covered in miasma. And they listened to her._

"You know all about the Qliphoth, right?"_ With the miasma still around, Yulia proposed a plan to lift up the land using the Sephiroth. Before it could be put into action, two nations started to fear Yulia's power and so they ended up imprisoning her. Yulia was betrayed by one of her disciples, and this backlash resulted in the deaths of two of her disciples: one was Lugus Micah. No one knows how, but eventually her proof of the covenant with her Summon Spirits were returned to Lugus Bres on Yesod._

_The land is lifted, but not everyone is out of the Qliphoth. Yulia managed to get out of prison before her execution, and use her remaining disciples to build a place for the people left there to live._

"There's more with seals and the Order and Sephiroth and whatnot, but I don't really think they're all that important to the story. What _really_ matters," Levi stated, pointing a finger for emphasis, "is Lugus Micah. And her brother and nephew too, but most importantly is Lugus Micah. Her name should mean something to you."

Did it? She didn't know. It certainly sounded familiar—the whole story did. But normally after something like this she would only remember in a dream. Cassia still couldn't remember the fonic artes she was supposed to know. She looked down at the two gems, scrutinizing them. The brown one was much more familiar than the green one. Were these the proof of the covenant that he mentioned?

Tentatively, Cass reached out and picked up the brown gem, a topaz maybe? The weight of it in her palm was definitely familiar, but nothing appeared in her mind's eye. Could she just tell Levi that she didn't remember anything?

She didn't spend long considering what to tell him; Cass didn't want to be lied to, so she would tell him the truth. "It all sounds like I've heard it before. And this feels familiar too… but I can't remember any fonic artes. Usually something like that I would get from a dream… like how I remembered how to collect fonons efficiently."

The Scorer leaned back enough to lift the front feet of his chair off the ground, disappointment evident in his posture. If she wasn't upset with herself and her memory, she may have stopped and thought about how weird it was that she could see how Levi was feeling so easily. It was never something she could do well, except with Natalia. "All right," he acquiesced, setting the feet of the chair back on the ground unceremoniously. "Sleep on this, maybe wander around the library for a bit. I think it should be okay for you do to that for the rest of today. Let someone know—preferably me—if you remember anything tomorrow morning. I've got stuff to do. Maybe I'll find you in the library later."

Levi didn't wait for a reply, he grabbed the gems and made for the door. At the threshold the Scorer paused, turned towards the girl that was still at the table. "Just remember that Yesod is lacking in fonists. I would have found someone else if a diverse enough fonist was around. Hurry up so you can help Commandant Grants." With that said, Levi shut the door behind him.

Despite the emptiness of the room, she was not alone; thoughts about everything Levi told her before his story, everything about fonic artes and the summoning of Lorelei, everything about Lugus Micah and her home, and the implications the story held for her past. They all surrounded her, speaking at the same time, trying to hold Cassia's attention before another thought crossed through her mind.

It was too much. Way too much.

Cass released a deep breath, trying to keep calm. Her hands tangled into her hair, fingernails digging into her scalp as she tried to quiet down and organize her thoughts. But it didn't help. There was too much to consider, too much to try and prioritize because it was _all_ important. Everything about fonic artes would help Van, Natalia, the world. Everything else would help _her_, let Cass finally know who she was and what she was meant to do. And she could expect more to bombard her, overwhelm her, tonight. It was almost guaranteed that she would learn something from a dream with everything she was told today.

It was too much.

Cass gripped her head tighter.

What was she supposed to _do?_

_…_

_…_

_No._

She wasn't going to sit here, thinking about what she was supposed to do, being overwhelmed into immobility by everything going on. She did that before, after Akzeriuth, but she couldn't let that happen again. Her life wouldn't organize itself if she didn't do anything. Cass didn't know if she would have anyone to help her, but that wasn't what she wanted; she didn't _want_ help. She wanted to help others, to help Van and help Natalia.

Levi gave her a means to continue learning; Cassia was not going to rely on someone to help her anymore. There was a library in the cathedral—it might not have the answers she wanted (did she even know all of her questions?), but it would have _something._

Her journal was somewhere around here, and Cass had the feeling that she would be filling up its pages well into the night. Sleep could wait, she had a plan and she was _going to follow it through_. Determination coursed through her veins, and she swiped all of the papers from her table. They fluttered to the floor, leaving a blank slate before her.

Cass needed to start somewhere, and that didn't include looking at and considering something unwritten. No, the best place would be to go backwards, stepping into her past and organizing everything from there. No one was going to do it for her.

Picking up her journal and shutting the door behind her, Cass turned left once, followed by a right turn and made her way down, down, down towards the heart of Daath and its reliquary of knowledge.

She had to go backwards in time, and what better place to start than the beginning?

* * *

* From the Tales of the Abyss Perfect Guide. There's structural cross section of Auldrant. In between the Outer Lands and the fonbelt is an unnamed area. I named it Lift Zone. Since this bit takes place before the Float War/before raising the Outer Lands, I assume the Sephiroth are visible on the crust. (towerofpride. tumblr image/ 76139332297)

**Author's Note:** Maybe I haven't looked, but I haven't ever seen any fan writing for the Fonic War. This was a lot of fun to do, because I imagine Yulia _trying _really hard to be an adult but she's only 14 so she's still a kid. Despite how horribly worded and choppy it is, when she makes the Grand Fonic Hymn is probably my favorite thing I've ever written because, after thinking about each hymn and what it does and what was going on when Yulia created it, the meaning behind her pact with Lorelei becomes so clear.

_Tear: He said, "Yulia wished for people to overturn the Score. Yulia loved the world. The fonic hymns are the pact that Yulia offered to Lorelei out of that love..."_

YES, summoning will be included in this. It's already in the game, technically. I'll have a specific note about it later on. But if you're worried then no, Cass is not the "chosen one" that can do this. If you have proof of the pact, know the fon verse, and a desire to fulfill the original pact, you're set. 'Cause if Tear can summon Lorelei without actually making a pact, I figure anyone could do the same with the others.


End file.
